Lahore Division U13 Hockey League From July 5

Sports and Youth Affairs Department Punjab, Commissioner Office Lahore and Sports Board Punjab have joined hands for strengthening the base of national hockey and in this regard Lahore Division Under-13 Hockey League is being organised, here from July 5

LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Jul, 2022 ) :Sports and Youth Affairs Department Punjab, Commissioner Office Lahore and sports board Punjab have joined hands for strengthening the base of national hockey and in this regard Lahore Division Under-13 Hockey League is being organised, here from July 5.

This was stated by Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab Asadullah Faiz at a news conference here on Saturday, along with Commissioner Lahore Capt (retd) Mohammad Usman and Director General Sports Punjab Muhammad Tariq Qureshi at National Hockey Stadium.

Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab Asadullah Faiz announced that as a first step towards achieving this goal, Deputy Commissioner Lahore Umer Sher Chattha, Director Sports Nadeem Qaiser, Director Youth Affairs Syed Omair Hasan, former hockey Olympians Tauqeer Dar, Kh Junaid, Mohammad Saqlain, DSO Tanveer Shah and other officials were also present on this occasion.

Secretary Sports Punjab Asadullah Faiz said that the inaugural ceremony of Lahore Division Under-13 Hockey League will be held at National Hockey Stadium on July 5 while the matches of the league will start on July 16 at three venues of the city National Hockey Stadium, National Hockey Stadium Pitch-2 and Johar Town Hockey ground.

He said that holding of Under-13 Hockey League was imperative to trace fresh hockey talent at the grassroots level. "It is just a new beginning and we are going to make this tournament a part of our Annual Sports Calendar. I'm quite confident that after 3 to 4 years, we will be able to build a pool of talented hockey players who will be ready to represent the national hockey team in an international hockey tournament".

Asadullah Faiz said: "This will be an incentive-based league and we will give stipends to all the talented players. After district level, this league will be organized at divisional level in the next phase".

He said it is a long journey which has been started with an aim to regain Pakistan's lost glory in the hockey field. He also appreciated Commissioner Lahore Capt (retd) Mohammad Usman for taking this great initiative.

Commissioner Lahore said that three teams from Lahore and two teams from other three districts of Lahore division will participate in U-13 Hockey League. "The trials of the Under-13 Hockey League have been completed in which over 1100 U-13 players took part from across the Lahore Division".

He also thanked Sports Board Punjab and Sports and Youth Affairs Department Punjab for extending all possible facilities during trials and patronizing this game-changing junior hockey tournament.

Director General Sports Punjab Muhammad Tariq Qureshi on this occasion said that Sports Board Punjab will provide all possible facilities for holding of this grand junior hockey tournament.

Former Olympian Kh Junaid said that the matches of U-13 Hockey League will be played on weekends on home and away basis. Olympians Tauqeer Dar, Kh Junaid, former skipper Mohammad Saqlain thanked Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab Asadullah Faiz, Director General Sports Punjab Muhammad Tariq Qureshi for patronizing this U-13 Hockey League.