Dr Aditya Nag, National Vice Chairman of the Amateur Soft Hockey League (Sitting middle) and Ramesh Singh (Sitting second from right), General Secretary of the Amateur Soft Hockey Federation of India (ASHFI), alongwith office bearers of the Nagaland State Soft Hockey Association in Dimapur.
Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 3
Soft hockey administrators are eyeing Nagaland. Dr Aditya Nag, National Vice Chairman of the Amateur Soft Hockey League told a press conference that the game’s promoters are set on establishing the game in Nagaland.
He was in the state, as national observer, to oversee the election of office bearers to the Nagaland State Soft Hockey Association (NSSHA), which was conducted in Dimapur on January 3. Dr Nag was accompanied by the founder of the ‘soft’ version of field hockey, Ramesh Singh, who is also the General Secretary of the Amateur Soft Hockey Federation of India (ASHFI).
Soft hockey is an emerging sport played with the conventional hockey stick, but with a softer ball. In this version, each team has 12 players, but can field only 6 players at any given point in the game, with 6 players as reserves.
According to Nag, the game is growing in popularity globally. In India, he said that there are professional opportunities through an IPL-style league and scholarships. “It may not be as big as football or cricket, but we are going to give them all kinds of benefits. It is played in 19 countries today,” he said.
State-level soft hockey associations are active in 21 states with Nagaland becoming the 21st state in the country. While stating that they are committed to spread the sport across the length and breadth of the country, he announced Talent Search Programmes and Referee Training Programmes for Nagaland to provide youth with opportunities.
ASHFI General Secretary, Ramesh Singh stated that a calendar will be created for the state to coordinate activities at the tehsil, district, state, and national levels. Singh announced the launch of the ‘Har Ghar Hockey Abhiyan’ (Hockey in Every Home Campaign) to establish the sport at grassroots.
The Nagaland State Soft Hockey Association is led by Thrijungliba Sangtam as President and Talinukshi Imchen as General Secretary. Sangtam said that his objective is to lead the state association, and establish the sport as a platform for youth.
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