MUMBAI: With the lease renewal from the state govt in its final stages, the Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA) is planning a state-of-the-art hockey academy that will primarily cater to local children.
"We want to bring back the glory days of Mumbai hockey," MHA president Bakshi Mangha Singh told TOI on Tuesday. "Once the lease is finalised, we are planning a complete overhaul of our facilities. Our association, which has been around for nearly nine decades, has always been at the forefront of nurturing hockey in this part of the world. We will reignite that process with the new academy," the 61-year-old added.
The academy will be nonresidential, though outsiders will be welcomed. However, they will need to arrange their own accommodations, Mangha Singh noted.
He also acknowledged that finances are tight. "Maintaining the ground and facilities costs us nearly Rs 4 lakh every month. We're using our reserves," Mangha Singh revealed.
The MHA officials are optimistic that funding for the planned academy won't be an issue once the lease is renewed. "The MHA has huge loyalty from former Olympians, international stars, local players, and city hockey enthusiasts. Plus, our location is prime. We believe securing finances won't be too difficult," Mangha Singh said hopefully.
MHA has been a "significant contributor" to city hockey, and despite various challenges, it continues to support the sport. " Currently, an inter-school competition organised by the District Sports Officers' office is being held here. Several city-based teams also use our ground for practice, so hockey is still regularly played here in some form," added Mangha Singh.
Regarding MHA's efforts to secure affiliation with Hockey India, which currently recognises only Hockey Maharashtra and has formed two ad-hoc bodies - Hockey Mumbai City and Hockey Mumbai Suburbs - to manage the sport in the city, Mangha Singh said, "We will approach Hockey India once we have a better-equipped MHA in place, with an international-level academy."
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