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The Bahrain Hockey Association is all set to open the 2012 hockey calendar on what could be a spectacular year for the sport in the kingdom.
An international seven-a-side tournament will be staged next month, world-renowned referees will hold an umpiring workshop and there are plans to revive a national field hockey league.
The island’s leading players have been busy training in recent weeks for the Bahrain Open Hockey 7s Tournament, sponsored by Gulf Agency Company (GAC) and supported by GulfWeekly, on June 1.
Jude D’Souza, the association’s general secretary, said: "These are exciting times for field hockey. We are in talks with the sport authorities in Bahrain to nationalise the BHA as an official sports association and plan to revive the Bahrain Hockey League later this year."
The international contest is likely to attract teams from Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, India, Pakistan as well as Bahrain.
There are 16 team slots available and registration closes on May 22. The venue for the tournament will be the field hockey facility at St Christopher’s School in Saar and it will be held under the patronage of Shaikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al Khalifa, general secretary, Bahrain Olympic Committee.
Stephen Pereira and Arthur Castellino, two highly-qualified professional referees from India will be flying in from Mumbai to assist.
D’Souza added: "They come with a wealth of experience having umpired tournaments in several high-profile leagues in India. They will be specially brought in to monitor the tournament to the international standards that will be followed throughout the competition."
An umpiring workshop conducted by the Mumbai stalwarts is also planned for local referees. "We are delighted that the Bahrain Hockey Association is taking positive steps towards the professional management of hockey in Bahrain and it is our pleasure to be a part of it," said Pereira.
To attract new and existing fans to the tournament, which is also being backed by Red Bull and Inventhouse amongst others, there will be an array of food stalls, music DJs, shaded seating and even an interactive games area for spectators.
D’Souza said the association was serious about positioning itself as a professional hockey body through its activities. Other plans include implementing indoor hockey within the community in the next year as a short-term objective.
The association also wants to encourage more corporate bodies to help it to achieve its ambitions as the future looks bright as international federations are calling on Bahrain to actively join in on a global level.
Long-term objectives are to develop Bahrain’s first hockey facility and to start youth development throughout private schools and universities.
A regional ‘understanding’ is being worked on with other GCC and Arab hockey federations to start a West Asia Hockey Committee to further promote the sport in the Arab world.
For further details, contact the association’s social media set-up through www.facebook.com/bahrainhockeyassociation and twitter@bahrainhockey
