This is where VWHA is holding selection trials

Principal Correspondent

NO NETS over the goal posts, ground full of puddles and knee-high grass covering the entire field. Welcome to Vidarbha Women’s Hockey Association’s Tiger’s gap ground off Sadar.
This is the field where the association will be holding selection trials for the Indian Hockey Federation organised 1st junior national championship for boys and girls from September 20 at Pune.
IHF had asked VWHA to send its team for the nationals. Vidarbha Hockey Association too had showed their willingness to select the girls’ team but IHF granted permission to VWHA.
The trials were scheduled to start from September 16 but heavy rains forced VWHA to postpone it. On Saturday, only road running and fitness exercises were performned as per an official statement.
“As the ground was wet we were unable to use it. But we did road running and fitness exercises,” said Pramod Jain, joint secretary, VWHA.
A big lock on the gate welcomed this scribe on Friday morning. When contacted Amod Sarin, secretary, VWHA, said the registration process was done on Thursday and trials will commence from Saturday starting 4 pm.
When asked whether the trials would be held at the same venue, Sarin replied in affirmative.
“Around 40 players have registered with us and will be undergoing the selections trials. The team will be selected in a few days,” she said.
Jain said, “With rains playing spoilsport we tried to shift trials to some other venue but all grounds were wet.”
But the reality is the ground has not been maintained for at least more than a month. The knee-high grass proves the point.
The ground, which has produced several top level hockey players in the region, is now in a shambles.
Vinod Trivedi and his
colleagues, a few months, back tried to level the field with
trucks-load of mud soil. The ground was rolled well and it looked that city would get another playfield exclusively for hockey after the one off Amravati road. But financial constraints forced VWHA to turn a blind eye towards this decades old ground.
“At VWHA, it is hand to mouth situation. We are shelling out money from our pockets for hockey. Maintenance of ground needs a lot of money. We are trying to arrange funds,” said Jain.

IHF to help VHA in getting astro turf: Jt secy Mathur

Paritosh Pramanik
NAGPUR, sept 17, 2010

INDIAN Hockey Federation (IHF) joint secretary Ashok Mathur paid a surprise visit to Vidarbha Hockey Association (VHA) on Friday afternoon. It was not a pre-planned visit but Mathur spent almost full day with Vinod Gavai, VHA secretary and other officials. He also spent more than an hour at VHA’s ground which earned heaps of praise from the IHF official.
“It is a fabulous playfield. The two lawn turfs are very well maintained,” remarked Mathur while exclusively talking to ‘The Hitavada’.
Mathur was on his way to Pune where the 1st junior nationals for boys and girls are going to be held from September 20.
“I reached Nagpur in the morning and my flight to Pune was in the evening. I called Gavai and asked him whether he could spare some time with me. I am happy Mr Gavai took me to VHA. I am happy with the development works of VHA,” said Mathur about his ‘surprise’ visit.
Mathur said VHA should try to get at least one astro turf in the region and added IHF will try to help them getting one.
“Centre has announced it will lay 100 astro turfs in the country. Entire Maharashtra has just three astro turfs, one in Mumbai and two in Pune. I will ask Mr (KPS) Gill to request Sports Ministry in allotting one astro turf at Nagpur,” said Mathur while having a glance at VHA’s 4-acre land.
“Maharashtra government should provide financial aid to VHA in acquiring an astro turf, he added.
The IHF official also praised VHA for conducting tournaments in several age categories which includes inter-school, inter-college and the A and B division leagues.
“I am surprised to know that the association, along with veterans association, has also started a Sunday League for those past their prime. It’s something unique,” he said. On the ongoing ‘tussle’ between VHA and Vidarbha Women’s Hockey Association (VWHA) Mathur said, “I don’t understand why they are refusing to merge. After all it’s the women’s association which has to merge with the men’s body and not vice versa. They have to merge, that’s the only option. Every association in India is doing the same,” said Mathur.
Mathur felt that the new IHF body would be elected unanimously.
“Till now every IHF executive body has been elected unanimously. I hope the trend continues when the election are held on October 3,” he concluded.

IHF authorises VWHA to select girls’ team for jr nationals

By Paritosh Pramanik

IT WAS sort of a victory for Vidarbha Women’s Hockey Association (VWHA) when the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) granted them the permission to select girls’ team for the forthcoming junior national hockey championship scheduled at Pune from September 20.
This will be the first national championship conducted by IHF for both boys and girls after the men and women bodies merged into one single game-controlling unit.
There was a confusion in Vidarbha regarding selection of girls team for the nationals. Both Vidarbha Hockey Association (VHA) and VWHA claimed they were the sole authority to select the team.
VWHA will conduct selection trials for girls from September 16.
Talking to ‘The Hitavada’ IHF Joint Secretary Ashok Mathur said VWHA would be allowed to select and send the team until the merger process is completed.
“The merger process is still on in most of the states and units. Until it is not completed VWHA will continue to select and send team for the nationals,” said Mathur.
Mathur said the team selected by VWHA would be allowed to participate in the championship starting September 20.
Amrit Bose of IHF also said VWHA had all rights to select and send girls’ team for nationals.
“We have permitted Amod Sarin to select the team for the nationals. The merger process is still on and like other states where women’s associations are yet to get merged with the men’s, the erstwhile associations will continue to send their teams.
“We will be entertaining VWHA selected team in the forthcoming nationals,” said Bose from Delhi.
When brought to notice that VWHA was dissolved when a Nagpur District Unified Hockey Association was formed and got merged with Hockey Maharashtra to get affiliated with Hockey India as a district unit, Bose said, “I don’t want to talk about Hockey India. That is not a recognised body.
“They (VWHA) might have got merged with them but even after IHF and IWHF merger, we are entertaining all our old affiliated bodies.”


VHA can conduct eves’ meet: IHF

By Paritosh Pramanik

VIDARBHA Women’s Hockey Assocaition’s (VWHA) claim that they were the sole authority to conduct hockey tournaments in the region and the inter-school girls’ tournament organised by Vidarbha Hockey Association (VHA) was illegal did not get support from Indian Hockey Federation (IHF).
IHF joint secretary Ashok Mathur, while talking to this paper, said VHA has all rights to conduct the girls’ meet after merger of the men and women’s federations at the top level.
In a media statement, VWHA had threatened to take legal action against VHA if they organised the girls’ meet.
They had also threatened school authorities of “appropriate action” had they allowed their schools to participate in the meet. “Their players would not be considered for sub-junior and junior nationals championship,” the statement said.
VHA’s inter-school girls tournament is likely to start from September 16.
“VHA has all rights to conduct girls tournament. It won’t be termed illegal as the men and women’s body has merged at the top level and same is under process and the district and state level.
“I don’t think there is any harm in VHA conducting a tournament for girls,” said Mathur.
It is now to be seen whether VWHA would allow the girls to participate in the selection trials if they play VHA’s tournament or goes against IHF’s orders.