Sticking up for hockey in Mumbai

"Mumbai hockey has lost its charm" is the oft-repeated line among the sports enthusiasts in the city.

Make no mistake, they say that for a reason. For, they've seen it all. From the highs of producing a legend like Dhanraj Pillay, having a strong presence in the Indian team in the 1990s and the early 2000s, to having only one over the past few years in Yuvraj Walmiki, hockey in Mumbai has come a full circle.

From Pillay to Cornelius D'Costa, Gavin Ferreira to Rahul Singh, Darryl D'Souza to Anil Aldrin, Edgar brothers to Viren Rasquinha, the city of dreams has produced some champions players over the past few decades. Cut to the present, and one can count on their fingertips the number of players knocking on the national doors.

Rasquinha, former India captain and Olympian, paints the picture aptly.

"When I was growing up," he recalls, "I remember 30-40 boys playing hockey in a gully, wearing chappals and carrying a stick. I didn't have shin pads that time. I used to hate hockey because the ball used to hit my shin and it was so painful. But it was great fun at the same time. I don't see kids playing hockey in the gullies anymore".

That's what hurts hockey lovers most — not the lack of presence at the top-most level, but the lack of interest right at the bottom.

For many years, hockey in Mumbai was in the wilderness. Players were left in the lurch with the split in the federation. Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA) remained with the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and not the recognised Hockey India (HI) for around four years till 2011. It denied Mumbai players an opportunity to play for the country, having a serious trickle-down effect.

Kids had no one to look up to, parents didn't encourage their children to take up the sport. "There's no scope in it anymore", they said. They had a point.

It's precisely this perception that Dabang Mumbai, the newly-formed Mumbai franchise of the Hockey India League (HIL), want to change. For two years, Mumbai had a presence in the HIL, but with very little to show. The Mumbai Magicians, owned by the Dabur Group then, failed to qualify for the semifinals in the two seasons. Moreover, they had just one player from Mumbai in the first season (Anup Walmiki), and none in the second.

FOCUS ON LOCAL FLAVOUR
With change of owners and management, came the winds of change. For starters, they roped in ex-Mumbai players — Aldrin and Edgar Mascarenhas — to constitute their coaching staff. Rasquinha became the face of the franchise as the strategic advisor and mentor. More importantly, they emphasised on giving the franchise a local flavour in terms of players. It was a conscious decision, one that Rasquinha was adamant about before coming on board.
"We always talk about giving Mumbai players an opportunity, and when a major tournament like this comes around, we don't do that. When I was put in charge, I said we are going to give Mumbai players an opportunity — both in the coaching and player side," says Rasquinha.
And they did just that.
"Anup Walmiki, Rajat Sharma, Tyron Pereira, Amit Gowda, Adrian D'Souza are core Mumbai boys. Vikram Pillay and Vikas Pillay also come to Mumbai very often from Pune. We also have Chinglensana Singh and Nilakanta Sharma who are from Manipur but are based in Mumbai. So we tried to give a Mumbai flavour to the team," he adds.
What's more, the team has allowed some promising young Mumbai players who are not part of the team to train with the players and rub shoulders with the best.
"We are giving around seven talented Mumbai boys a chance to train with the team everyday. We're giving boys who can match up to this level a chance to train with the best. We're going to have a few coaching clinics for mass kids closer to the tournament," Rasquinha says.

THE GERMAN WAY
Their head coach, Germany's Valentin Altenburg who is also in-charge of the German Under-21 team, explains why it was important for him as a coach, and as a franchise overall, to pick as many local players as possible.
"I come from a club where they put all their effort in the youth. The best coaches don't go to the adults, they go to the youth. So our club has players who come in as little kids and spend their entire career there, because the club puts all the efforts in building them technically and culturally. What I understand is that those players give everything for their club, because it is their club, their project, their life experience," he says.
Once that happens, the cycle can kickstart again from the bottom. Anup, the youngest of the Walmiki brothers, grew up watching Pillay and his brother Yuvraj play hockey. He hopes the same happens with young kids who will watch him play for Mumbai.
"There's a big difference when you play for your city," the 19-year-old says. "My batchmates will come and watch me and will try and be a part of the team next season. Kids will believe that if they work hard, even they can be a part of this. I've grown up seeing Dhanraj sir and Yuvraj play. Someone will watch me too".

EXTRA PUSH FOR PLAYERS
Goalkeeper Adrian D'souza, who has more than 100 international caps and yet is making his HIL debut this season, says getting more local players in the fray in Dabang Mumbai is a great way to start the process of reviving hockey in the city.
"This is the first time that there are so many local players in the Mumbai HIL team. So if you have try and get Mumbai hockey back to where it was, this is a great way to start. It was missing in the last two seasons," says D'souza, who was analysing the HIL as a commentator last year.
The 30-year-old believes the high of playing in one's home ground cannot be matched.
"It does give that extra push. I've been born and brought up playing on this (MHA) pitch. I'm still playing here. I've seen the turf and stadium changing. I've seen many things happen. So there is nothing like playing in your own turf," he says.

TARGET COACHES TOO
Not just players, Rasquinha & Co. also want to target school and club coaches.
"Valentine in my opinion is one of the top coaches in the world at the moment. So we want all Mumbai coaches to come and see the kind of training sessions, so they implement it in their schools, clubs. That's why we say coaches, kids are free to come any time and see our training. We want to make it as open as possible," he says.
The final cog in the wheel is the management. The current MHA administration, Rasquinha believes, has been far more pro-active than the previous ones.
"We have to show to players in schools that there is hope," Vernon Lobo, MHA managing committee member, says. "Earlier, there was nothing to look forward to. But now there is. I'm glad the franchise has taken so many Mumbai players. Now it is up to the players to grab the chance".
However, Rasquinha warns against expecting too much from a single entity.
"HIL and Dabang Mumbai is one of the many things that are required to be done. This happens only for two months. You need the school tournaments, the Bombay Gold Cup, Guru Tegh Bahadur Gold Cup and the leagues properly organised. You need to have top quality hockey happening throughout the year. You need to have kids playing regularly. It's got to be a sustained programme.
"If everyone — management, coaches, players, fans — does their job well, the possibility of sustaining this and brining Mumbai hockey up is far, far better. I want to see kids playing hockey in the gullies again," he says.
It all comes back to that, isn't it?
rutvick.mehta@dnaindia.net

LOCAL FLAVOUR, ANYONE?
Below is the list of number of Mumbai players in the Mumbai franchise since the inception of HIL
Season Number Player/s
1 (Mumbai Magicians) 1 Anup Walmiki
2 (Mumbai Magicians) 0
3 (Dabang Mumbai) 7 Anup Walmiki, Rajat Sharma, Tyron Pereira, Amit Gowda, Adrian D'Souza, Vikram Pillay and Vikas Pillay

FAN CALLING
Another important aspect that the Dabang Mumbai want to improve upon from the last two seasons is attracting fans. The fan turnaround in the last two years was meagre, and the new franchise hopes to build a fan base in the city like Mumbai Indians have done with their "MI Paltan" concept. "We're already done a lot of activation," says Rasquinha. "We have personally reached out to every club registered under MHA — around 60 — making individual phone calls asking them to come for the matches. We'll be reaching out to all school teams too. We're much more present on the social media also this time. So hopefully, all this combined will get the crowds".