‘National Women's Hockey League can be a pathway to the Indian Team for young players,’ believes former captain Pritam Siwach

New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) Hailing Hockey India's yet another ground-breaking initiative, National Women's Hockey League 2024-2025, former Indian skipper Pritam Rani Siwach championed its significance for aspiring players who are looking to reach the national team set-up.

Lauding the initiative, Pritam, who along with her husband runs the Pritam Siwach Hockey Academy, said, “It is an excellent initiative started by Hockey India. The National Women’s Hockey League will provide an opportunity for young players to showcase their skills and techniques and make a name for themselves, thus creating their own pathway to the national team going forward.”

It must be noted that the Pritam Siwach Hockey Academy is based in Sonipat and has produced many stars for the Indian team, such as Neha, Sharmila Devi, Nisha Warsi, and Jyoti, among others.

“Through this, the players will also get to know what areas they need to work on and how they can improve their game. It is also equally important for the coaches as well as they will be more aware of the players and how they can work on them, train them and refine their game,” she added.

The National Women's Hockey League is the first domestic women’s league of its kind in India, promising an exhilarating showcase of talent and skill. The league is structured into two phases, with the inaugural phase set to take place in Ranchi, Jharkhand, from 30th April to 9th May 2024. All matches during this phase will be hosted at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium.

The National Women’s Hockey League will feature teams that secured top-eight positions in the recently concluded 14th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2024 in Pune. The teams are – Hockey Haryana, Hockey Maharashtra, Hockey Jharkhand, Hockey Madhya Pradesh, Hockey Bengal, Hockey Mizoram, Manipur Hockey, and Hockey Association of Odisha.

The Dronacharya Awardee also expressed her thoughts on the senior men’s team as they prepare and train rigorously ahead of the Paris Olympics. She said, “The team has some really talented players who have the capabilities of winning matches. Yes, the pool in which India is placed in is a bit tricky but I am confident that the team will pass this test and hopefully change the colour of the medal to gold.”

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