Kalinga Lancers Win 2017 Hockey India League Title |

2017 Hockey India League Champions Kalinga Lancers Photo by Siddhartha Mittal, courtesy
Stick2Hockey.com
fter
30 league matches played between January 21 to February 22, the
following 4 teams made it to the 2017 Hockey India League (HIL)
semi-finals - Dabang Mumbai, Kalinga Lancers, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi
Waveriders. Defending champion Jaypee Punjab Warrior finished last in
the league and did not qualify for the finals.
Rank |
Team |
P |
W |
L |
D |
GF |
GA |
GD |
Points |
1 |
Dabang Mumbai |
10 |
6 |
2 |
2 |
40 |
32 |
+8 |
35 |
2 |
Kalinga Lancers |
10 |
5 |
4 |
1 |
32 |
40 |
-8 |
28 |
3 |
Uttar Pradesh Wizards |
10 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
31 |
22 |
+9 |
25 |
4 |
Delhi Waveriders |
10 |
3 |
5 |
2 |
29 |
23 |
+6 |
23 |
5 |
Ranchi Rays |
10 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
25 |
26 |
-1 |
23 |
6 |
Jaypee Punjab Warriors |
10 |
4 |
6 |
0 |
25 |
39 |
-14 |
22 |
The HIL finals were held at the Hockey Stadium in
Mohali, near Chandigadh, with the semi-finals played on February 25, and the third-place
match and final held on February 26.
In the first semi-final, Kalinga Lancers and Uttar Pradesh Wizards
played out to a 4-4 draw at the end of regulation time. At the end of
the shootout, the score was still tied at 6-6. Kalinga Lancers went on
to win 8-7 in a dramatic golden goal penalty shootout, with Aran
Zalewski scoring the winning goal past goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh.
In the second semi-final, Dabang Mumbai comfortably beat Delhi Waveriders
2-0 to seal their spot in the final. The goal scorer for Dabang Mumbai
was Robert Kemperman via a penalty corner goal scored in field goal
fashion.
In the final played before a packed stadium, Kalinga Lancers beat Dabang Mumbai
4-1 to win their first ever Coal India Hockey India League title.
Glenn Turner (10 min) and Moritz Fuerste (30, 59 min, both PCs)
scored for the winners, while Affan Yousuf pulled one back for the
losing team.
The following were the awards given for the Hockey India League final
match:
- Goal of the Final: Affan Yousuf, Dabang Mumbai
- Young Achiever of the Final: Matthew Dawson, Kalinga Lancers
- Most Entertaining Player of the Final: Robbert Kemperman, Dabang Mumbai
- Player of the Final: Moritz Fuerste, Kalinga Lancers
Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh Wizards beat Delhi Waveriders
5-4 in a closely-fought encounter to finish third.
|
The Global Hockey Talent In The Hockey India League |

Photograph courtesy Hockey India League
he
top 5 individual awards of any sports league include the Winning
Captain, Winning Coach, Player of the Final, Player of the Tournament
and the Top Scorer of the Tournament. In the 5 editions of the Hockey
India League held so far, these 5 top awards have invariably gone to
foreign hockey talent, as shown in the table below:
Year |
Category |
Winner |
Country |
2017 |
Winning Captain |
Moritz Fuerste |
Germany |
|
Winning Coach |
Mark Hager |
Australia |
|
Player of the Final |
Moritz Fuerste |
Germany |
|
Player of the Tournament |
Florian Fuchs |
Germany |
|
Top Goal Scorer of the Tournament |
Moritz Fuerste Glenn Turner |
Germany Australia |
2016 |
Winning Coach |
Barry Dancer |
Australia |
|
Player of the Final |
Mark Knowles |
Australia |
|
Top Goal Scorer of the Tournament |
Glenn Turner |
Australia |
2015 |
Winning Captain |
Ashley Jackson |
Great Britain |
|
Player of the Final |
Tyler Lovell |
Australia |
|
Player of the Tournament |
Ashley Jackson |
Great Britain |
|
Top Goal Scorer of the Tournament |
Ashley Jackson |
Great Britain |
2014 |
Player of the Final |
Nicolas Jacobi |
Germany |
|
Player of the Tournament |
Jaap Stockmann |
Netherlands |
|
Top Goal Scorer of the Tournament |
Jamie Dwyer |
Australia |
2013 |
Winning Captain |
Moritz Fuerste |
Germany |
|
Winning Coach |
Gregg Clark |
South Africa |
|
Player of the Final |
Moritz Fuerste |
Germany |
The Kalinga Lancers, winners of the 2017 Hockey India League, have
players from Australia, England, Germany, Netherlands and India. In the
midst of such global talent in the Hockey India League, Indian hockey
players still have some ways to go before they can consistently start
competing for these top awards.
|
Europeans Sweep First Ever FIH Hockey Stars Awards |

Photograph of Naomi van As (NED) and John-John Domen (BEL) courtesy
Hindustan Times
he
first ever FIH Hockey Stars awards for performances in the year 2016
ceremony was held at Hotel Lalit in Chandigadh on February 23, 2017. In
a near sweep, European players won 9 of the 10 awards, as can been seen
below:
Category |
Award |
Winner |
Country |
Men's |
Player of the Year |
John-John Domen |
Belgium |
|
Goalkeeper of the Year |
David Harte |
Ireland |
|
Rising Star of the Year (u-23) |
Arthur van Doren |
Belgium |
|
Coach of the Year |
Danny Kerry |
Great Britain |
|
Umpire of the Year |
Christian Blasch |
Germany |
Women's |
Player of the Year |
Naomi van As |
Netherlands |
|
Goalkeeper of the Year |
Maddie Hinch |
Great Britain |
|
Rising Star of the Year (u-23) |
Maria Jose Granatto |
Argentina |
|
Coach of the Year |
Karen Brown |
Great Britain |
|
Umpire of the Year |
Laurine Delforge |
Belgium |
Traditional hockey powerhouses - Australia, Germany, Netherlands -
had no winners in the men's category. In the women's category, a Dutch
player has won the Player of the Year for the last 3 years in a row.
|
Biopic on Penalty Corner Expert Sandeep Singh Due Next Year |

hitrangda Singh
has decided to turn producer with a biopic on hockey player
Sandeep Singh. What makes the hockey player's story inspirational is
that he was seriously injured and almost paralysed after being
accidentally shot in a train, while on his way to join the national team
who were about to leave for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He was on a
wheelchair for two years, but Sandeep not only recovered from the
serious injury, but also consolidated his position again in the team.
Under Sandep Singh's captaincy, the Indian team managed to clinch the Sultan Azlan
Shah Cup in 2009 after defeating Malaysia in the finals at Ipoh. India
won the title after a long wait of 13 years.
Chitrangada Singh said, "There is time as the script is still being
developed. It will be a biopic, and other things like getting another
producer on board are being worked out."
Sandeep is also excited about a biopic on his life which is scheduled
for release next year. "The biopic is being produced by actress
Chitrangada Singh. It will hit the theatres next year. It's in advanced
stages now and the casting will be done soon," he said.
|
FIH Certifies 4 Hockey Turf Field Builders In India |

Graphic courtesy Shiv Naresh Sports Pvt. Ltd.
here
is not a single artificial turf manufacturer in India. However, there
are 4 FIH-certified field builders in India, which means the turf fields
that these companies import and build will comply to the standards as detailed in
the FIH Quality Programme for Hockey Turf.
The 4 FIH-certified field builders are listed in the table below,
along with their artificial turf installations in India.
Company |
City |
State |
Location |
Advanced Sports Technologies LLP |
Bengaluru |
Karnataka |
Bharatiya Khel Praadhikaran (SAI) Centre |
|
Bhopal |
Madhya Pradesh |
Bharatiya Khel Praadhikaran (SAI) Centre |
|
Dehradun |
Uttarakhand |
Maharana Pratap College |
|
Imphal |
Manipur |
Bharatiya Khel Praadhikaran (SAI) Centre |
Great
Sports Infra Pvt. Ltd. |
Hisar |
Hariyana |
Haryana Agricultural University |
|
Jhansi |
Uttar Pradesh |
Dhyan Chand Stadium |
|
Kollam |
Kerala |
Hockey Stadium Asramam |
|
Raipur |
Chattisgadh |
Sardar Vallabh bhai Stadium |
Shiv Naresh Sports Pvt. Ltd. |
Chennai |
Tamil Nadu |
Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium |
|
Sirsa |
Hariyana |
Shri Guru Hari Singh College |
|
Sonepat |
Hariyana |
Sector 4 Hockey Stadium |
|
Kovilapatti |
Tamil Nadu |
Sports Development Authority of TN Hockey Stadium |
Syncotts International |
Bengaluru |
Karnataka |
Bharatiya Khel Praadhikaran (SAI) Centre, Kengeri |
|
Chandigadh |
Hariyana |
Sector 42 Hockey Stadium |
|
Etawah |
Uttar Pradesh |
Jyotiba Phule Stadium |
|
Lucknow |
Uttar Pradesh |
Major Dhyan Chand Stadium |
|
Varanasi |
Uttar Pradesh |
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Stadium, Lalpur |
FIH specifies multiple grades of turf fields - Global Elite,
Global, National and Multi-Sport fields. All of the above field
installations are of Global grade.
|
Photograph of the Month |

Photograph courtesy AFP
he
Photograph of the Month for March 2017 is of Indian national goalkeeper P.
R. Sreejesh, who was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India on
the occasion of Republic Day 2017.
"I would like to dedicate this award to my team who have been
exceptionally good over the past few years. We have grown together from
strength to strength and have enjoyed success as well as lifted each
other from heart breaking defeats. My recognition could not have been
possible if not for the team work," said an elated Sreejesh.
Sreejesh's penalty stroke saves against Pakistan in the 2014 Asian
Games hockey final remain as one of his best performances till date. The
team won the historic gold and booked its Rio Olympics berth.
In 2016, he led the Indian team to yet another momentous feat at the
Champions Trophy in London where the team won a historic silver medal
for the first time ever.
Sreejesh also captained the team to a splendid win against Pakistan
in the final of the 2016 Asian Champions Trophy in Kuantan, Malaysia.
|
Money Matters |

Photograph courtesy Hockey India
he
2017 Hockey India League had a total prize money of 6.01
crore across 11 different categories, as shown in the table below:
Category |
Award |
Winner |
Amount |
Team Awards |
Hockey India League 2017 Champion |
Kalinga Lancers |
2.5 crore |
|
Hockey India League 2017 Runner Up |
Dabang Mumbai |
1.25 crore |
|
Hockey India League 2017 3rd Place |
Uttar Pradesh Wizards |
75 lakh |
Individual Awards |
Most Valuable Player of the Tournament |
Florian Fuchs |
50 lakh |
|
Upcoming Player of the Tournament |
Harmanpreet Singh |
20 lakh |
|
Top Goal Scorer of the Tournament |
Moritz Fuerste, Glenn Turner (12 goals each) |
20 lakh |
|
Achiever Award for Upholding the Spirit of Hockey |
Florian Fuchs |
10 lakh |
Per Match Awards (34 matches) |
Goal of the Match |
50,000 per match |
17 lakh |
|
Man of the Match |
50,000 per match |
17 lakh |
|
Most Entertaining Player of the Match |
25,000 per match |
8.5 lakh |
|
Young Achiever of the Match |
25,000
per match |
8.5 lakh |
|
|
TOTAL |
6.01 crore |
In 2018, Hockey India League is expected to add a franchise in
Bengaluru, marking its geographical expansion to the southern part of
India.
|
Media Matters |

New Zealand's Jason McCracken, CEO International
Hockey Federation Article by Nitin Sharma, Photo by Kamleshvar Singh,
courtesy
Indian Express
eason
hockey umpire, referee and technical official, New Zealand's Jason
McCracken took over the charge of the Chief Executive Officer of the
International Hockey Federation (FIH) in February 2017.
McCracken, who was the Tournament Director in the Rio Olympics for
men's hockey, was in Chandigarh for the FIH Hockey Stars Awards and the
Hockey India League final. McCracken spoke with Chandigadh Newsline on
the plans for hockey in the years ahead.
"In 2019, we are going to introduce our new home and away hockey
league, and we are going to increase the amount of hockey on television
by ten times. The new format will be the league all around the world.
The top eight-nine teams will play one match in their country and then
play one match away against the same country and it will happen for 2-3
months at the start of the year. We will be having hockey for a much
longer duration. This will also form the part of the qualification
process for the Olympics spots.
Historically the game was more about stop and start. So we introduced
things like the self pass, the overhead pass and things like playing the
ball in the air to make the game faster. And we saw more goals being
scored. If we look at the hockey league, we are getting scores like 5-0
or 5-2. Traditionally, hockey games were seeing more scores of 1-0 or
2-1. The change to blue turf in the 2012 London Olympics was good for
telecast of the game. It is part of the evolution which the FIH wanted
to do.
We are not going to change rules more. We will now increase the
exposure of hockey. What we are trying to do is to give fans an
opportunity to watch hockey every day."
|
Visitor of the Month |

he
March 2017 Visitor of the Month is the organziation One Million Hockey
Legs, who sent the following promotional email for the Hockey India
League:
Since we started in 2015 we have been able to educate over 180
trainers in India, and made thousands of children happy
through hockey. The social impact and the personal development that
children (and adults) experience through sport are enormous. Sport
unites and teaches valuable lessons for everyday life. Whether it is
communication, or standing up for oneself, or developing one's own
talents and abilities.
In 2017, we have projects in Punjab (Amritsar, Jalandhar),
Jharkhand (Khunti), Maharashtra (Pune) and Rajasthan (Ajmer,
Jaipur). If you want more information please contact us on
info@onemillionhockeylegs.com.
|
Fun With Numbers |

Statistics by B. G. Joshi
he
March 2017 edition of Fun with Numbers is on the Indian's Men's and Women's Hockey at a glance.
- The Indian men's hockey team made its international debut in the
1926 tour of New Zealand
- The India men have played the maximum number of matches against
Pakistan, and has a winning percentage of only 33% against them (55
wins in 167 matches)
- The Indian men have participated in 50 Premier IOC/FIH world
level tournaments, and have won medals in only 17 of them (34%)
- In contrast, the Australian men have participated in 64 Premier
IOC/FIH world level tournaments, and have won medals in 47 of them
(73%)
Total Matches |
Premier FIH Tournaments |
Arch Rival - Pakistan |
P |
W |
L |
D |
Olympics |
World Cup |
CT |
HWL Finals |
P |
W |
L |
D |
1619 |
890 |
469 |
260 |
8G, 1S, 2B |
1G, 1S, 1B |
1S, 1B |
1B |
167 |
55 |
82 |
30 |
- The Indian women's hockey team made its international debut in
the 1953 16-country Invitational Tournament in Folkestone, Kent,
England
- The Indian women have played the maximum number of matches
against Japan, and has a winning percentage of only 19% against them
(12 wins in 61 matches)
- The Indian women have participated in 8 Premier IOC/FIH world
level tournaments, and have won 0 medals in these tournaments (0%)
- In contrast, the Dutch women have participated in 45 Premier
IOC/FIH world level tournaments, and have won medals in 41 of them
(91%)
- The only World title won by the India women's hockey team is in
the movies - the fictional Chak de! India movie made in 2007
Total Matches |
Premier FIH Tournaments |
Arch Rival - Japan |
P |
W |
L |
D |
Olympics |
World Cup |
Champions Trophy |
HWL Finals |
P |
W |
L |
D |
695 |
272 |
308 |
115 |
0G, 0S, 0B |
0G, 0S, 0B |
Never Qualified |
Never Qualified |
61 |
12 |
32 |
17 |
|