00:00Hockey is the culture that has brought the league to India's sports scene.
00:06A lot of players from the previous Hockey India League are still playing for the Indian team.
00:10And today they are stars.
00:12It's a good thing that we are reviving the Hockey India League.
00:168 teams for the men's team and 6 teams for the women's team.
00:18Namaskar, you are watching One India.
00:20I am Avinash Sharma and with me is the President of Hockey India,
00:24Lib Turki Sir.
00:26HIL, Hockey India League is going to start after a gap of 7 years.
00:29Hockey India has formally announced it today.
00:31Sir, first of all, thank you for talking to us.
00:34Please tell us about the format.
00:36There are 8 men's teams and 6 women's teams.
00:38Is the women's league debuting this time as well?
00:41League is very important.
00:43League is very important for any sport.
00:45And it's a good thing that we are reviving the Hockey India League.
00:498 teams for the men's team and 6 teams for the women's team.
00:52And for the first time, the women's team is going to have a league.
00:55And the excitement we are seeing in the women's team is enough.
01:00And for the youth players, there is a platform for exposure.
01:06As I said earlier, many players are still playing in the Indian team from the Hockey India League.
01:12And today they are stars.
01:14I am talking about Hardik, Manpreet, Mandeep, Sumit, General, Captain Harmanpreet.
01:22There are a lot of players.
01:24So the league is where the best teams in the world are coming to play.
01:31The players of the best teams are playing here.
01:34The players of the top 15 teams are coming to play here.
01:37And there is no international match anywhere during that time.
01:39Everyone's focus is only on HIL, Hockey India League.
01:42Hockey India League is one of the best leagues in the world.
01:45We are hoping that our franchisees and franchise owners will take the league forward.
01:56Sir, when we talk about a league, its feeder becomes very important.
02:00The pool of players becomes very important.
02:02Hockey India has done a lot of work at the grassroots level in the last 4 years.
02:07What is the success so far?
02:09Because when the league starts, it becomes necessary to get the talent pool every year.
02:14So what has Hockey India done so far and what is the success so far?
02:19As you said, when Hockey India League starts, you will see the talent of the new players.
02:28And definitely the talent will come up further.
02:33I am sure of this.
02:35Especially in girls, girls are very important for hockey.
02:43There are boys too.
02:44Like I said, we will stay with the top players and practice with them.
02:48We will play a match with them.
02:49We will travel with them from the changing room.
02:52So definitely their confidence level will increase.
02:54So I am hoping that the coming generations will play better hockey.
03:01You said a little while ago that the Premier Hockey League was the first franchise-based league in the country.
03:07And the rest of the leagues have copied it.
03:09We are seeing success stories in the form of IPL, Kabaddi, and ISL.
03:14But the one that has started is PHL.
03:18Absolutely.
03:19The cultural legacy of the league in Indian sports is hockey.
03:24It started with PHL.
03:26After that, cricket and other sports.
03:28And this gives young players a chance to play a top-class match.
03:35And we are getting financial support too.
03:37You talked about financial support.
03:39Most of the hockey players come from Tier 2 cities, Tier 3 cities.
03:44They come from Odisha, Jharkhand.
03:47In all these states, we have seen that the infrastructure growth has been very good.
03:54How much will the league boost there?
03:58You come to Odisha to watch hockey.
04:02The world's best hockey stadium is in Odisha.
04:06Red Samudra Hockey Stadium is in Rolkala.
04:08Kalinga Hockey Stadium is in Bhubaneswar.
04:10We have organized the 2018 World Cup in Bhubaneswar.
04:16The 2023 World Cup is in Bhubaneswar in Rolkala.
04:18It is world-class.
04:20This has increased the popularity of hockey.
04:22The government is supporting it a lot.
04:24I would like to thank the government.
04:26The Chief Minister, the Sports Minister, and all the principal secretaries are supporting it.
04:32That is why hockey is growing there.
04:36It is a matter of great joy that many states follow it.
04:40It is a matter of great joy.
04:42Last question.
04:44There is no hockey league in Bhubaneswar.
04:46There will be a league in Rolkala and Ranchi.
04:49What is your message to the hockey fans and supporters of Bhubaneswar?
04:53We are leaguing Hockey India in two venues, Rolkala and Ranchi.
04:59So that our franchise owner does not get a loan.
05:02But we are going to have a pro league in Bhubaneswar.
05:06We are organizing a pro league for the hockey fans.
05:10We hope that it will be good.
05:15Thank you for talking to us.
05:17We hope that Hockey India League will be a success.
05:29For more information, please visit www.hockeyindia.org
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