KARACHI, Nov 2: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Sunday announced a 20-member junior squad to play five Test-match series against India starting from Nov 11.

The squad, to be led by forward Shafqat Rasool, was announced by chief selector Hasan Sardar who arrived at the Hockey Club of Pakistan along with PHF president Qasim Zia and secretary Asif Bajwa to watch the final trials.

The Indian junior squad will be arriving here through the Wagah Border on Nov 10.

Qasim Zia addressed the press for the first time on the occasion since assuming charge as federation head.

He briefed the media about PHF’s current budget that has now been increased to Rs80 million for the implementation of PHF’s plan to uplift hockey, which includes school and club hockey, national league, academy hockey as well as local and foreign tournaments.

“On the directive of our patron-in-chief, the Prime Minister of Pakistan Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, our annual budget too has been increased to Rs250 million. We already got a grant of Rs100 million for which we are truly grateful to the government. From Punjab, we received Rs30 million which will be increased to Rs50 million from next year,” he said.

About PHF’s future plans for hockey in the country, Qasim said: “Our programme involves all the provinces. In Sindh, we will start incentive-oriented hockey with a focus on the grassroots. At the district level, we will only recognise those district associations which involve at least six schools or clubs.”

He added: “We are beginning academy hockey by setting up academies at the 11 centres in Pakistan which have Astroturf. These academies for boys of classes VIII, IX and X will promote education as well as the sport. Besides paying their fees, board and lodging, the federation will also be responsible for their coaches.”

Training of coaches and umpires too, according to the federation president, needs to be looked into.

While touching on departmental hockey, the federation chief said: “The prime minister has already directed three banks — Allied Bank Limited, United Bank Limited and MCB Bank — as well as Pakistan Customs to revive their hockey activities so that talented players can find good jobs.”

Qasim also stressed on glamorising the sport as well as its players.

“We want to see these stadiums jam-packed again. And we have thought of a new slogan — ‘Join the Men in Green’ — to attract our youth to the sport,” he said.

Another thing that would go a long way in glamorising the sport is giving it exposure. “From now on all national-level hockey matches would be televised,” said the PHF president.

When asked what incentives they are offering to the winners of the recent club championship, Qasim pointed out that they were going to Malaysia. But when asked about monetary incentives, PHF secretary Asif Bajwa replied for his president by explaining that the incentives would come as their funds increase.

To a question regarding the senior hockey legends in the country and their current role in the PHF, Qasim, while dismissing the notion that they are being sidelined, said: “We are working on a syllabus for our hockey academies for which we’ll have a research and development department and our senior hockey legends’ expertise will be utilised there.”

About making changes to the PHF constitution, he said that one amendment in the shape of replacing the executive council with a board had already been made. Coming back to the district associations, he said: “Also the association which doesn’t show any performance or work will be promptly replaced according to the constitution.”

When asked about the naming of management for the senior team, Qasim said that it can be expected around the 15th of this month.

The president also informed that the senior team’s two main targets were the Asian Games in 2010 and the Olympics in 2012.

Meanwhile, he clarified that at the moment it would not be possible to retain the junior boys who are promoted to the senior side in that team as those boys will be needed in the junior squad for the Junior World Cup in June 2009.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Imran Shah, Waqas Ali.

Fullbacks: Kashif Ali (vice captain), M. Ateeq, Imran Abbas.

Halfbacks: M. Irfan, Zaheer Ahmed, Amir Shahzad, Fareed Ahmed, M. Rashid.

Forwards: Adeel Hussain, Shafqat Rasool (captain), Haseem Khan, M. Zubair, Shahbaz, Rizwan, Taufeeq Yasir, Hasan Akhtar, Azlan Khan.

Officials: Qamar Ibrahim (chief coach); Danish Kaleem, Ahmed Alam (coaches); Faiz-ur-Rehman (physio); Nadeem Lodhi (video analyst).