KARACHI, Aug 22 In continuance of their efforts of promoting hockey at the grassroot level, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) President Qasim Zia and Secretary Asif Bajwa met with several dignitaries including Karachi's Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal here on Saturday.

Speaking to Dawn, Bajwa later said “We had a very fruitful discussion with the city nazim who wants to establish hockey academies on the lines of the cricket academies being set up here under his guidance.”

And according to the PHF secretary, the first such academy will be established at the Iftikhar Syed Hockey Academy in Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

“Mustafa Kamal sahib has also proposed constructing a 20-room hostel at the Iftikhar Syed Academy,” informed Bajwa.

“Besides this, there is also a plan for laying Astroturf at the Karachi Hockey Association (KHA) ground. Also, the Karachi team featuring in the forthcoming PHF Super League will be owned by the district government,” said the former Olympian.

To a question about the junior hockey academies in Karachi being set up in addition to the already 11 PHF academies operating all over the country, Bajwa said “The more such institutions, the better. We welcome the city government's initiative and are all for setting up new academies. It is all going to go a long way in the building up of new talent here. ”

About the recent protest by ex-Olympians against the Punjab Hockey Association (PHA) and the PHF over their having invited only four regions of Punjab instead of the known nine regions for the Under-18 league trials, Bajwa said “Well, we designed it this way for the tournament. But all the nine regions will also be given their chance in the regional championships.”