By Tahir A. Rana,
TORONTO, CANADA: The Asian Games bronze is not the comeback to glory. It is the first knock on the door of a glory which we must now have the bravery to take back.
Pakistan hockey has at last given its millions of fans a reason to hope again. The bronze medal at the Asian Games is a key success for a national sport that has faced years of fall, failure and doubt. It is more than a medal on the stage. It is a reminder that Pakistan still has skilled players, fighting spirit and the chance to come back to the top level of world hockey. But the bronze medal must not become the final goal. It must become the start of a true and lasting revival.
For a nation that once ruled world hockey, winning a bronze medal may not have been seen as a big success in the past. Pakistan’s hockey past is full of Olympic gold medals, World Cup wins and great players who made the green shirt one of the most respected kits in world sport. However, the truth of the last ten years has been very different. Pakistan has struggled with weak management, poor local events, less foreign exposure, money problems and the lack of a proper pathway for young players. In that situation, coming back to the Asian Games podium shows an important step forward.
The way in which Pakistan won the bronze makes the success even more hopeful. After going behind against South Korea, the Green Shirts showed willpower and courage to fight back into the game and win the medal. Such comebacks are key because strong world teams are made not only on skill but also on belief, strength and the faith that no game is lost till the last whistle. That mindset must now become part of the culture of Pakistan hockey.
The present leadership of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, under President Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, deserves credit for the good direction being taken. The federation has a chance to build on the energy created by the Asian Games result and set up a more expert and planned approach to the growth of the national game. However, the true test of leadership will not be one event or one medal. It will be whether the federation can make a system that keeps producing strong teams long after single players and officials have left.
This is the time for the PHF to think beyond the next event and make a full five-year national hockey plan. Pakistan needs a long-term roadmap that links school-level hockey with world success. The aim should be to create a clear path from school and academy hockey through district and provincial events, junior national teams and finally the senior national side. A talented 12-year-old playing hockey today should be able to see a real way from his local ground to the Pakistan national team.
The return of local hockey must be at the center of that plan. Players cannot become top-level world players by joining together only before big events. They need regular, high-quality matches all through the year. Pakistan needs a strong national league backed by departmental, regional, club, school and college hockey. A well-run local competition would not only grow players but could also help bring sponsors, TV viewers and a new lot of hockey fans.
Pakistan must also rebuild its school and college hockey setup. The country’s best hockey stars were not made in one day. They came from schools, clubs, colleges, academies and local events before finally reaching the world stage. If Pakistan wants to produce the next lot of Olympians, hockey must once again become a big part of the country’s education sports system. Talent hunt should start at an early age, with right coaching, kit and chances given to skilled youngsters no matter what their money status or place of living is.
The same focus must be given to U16, U18 and U21 hockey. Pakistan has often focused too much on the senior national team while ignoring the chain behind it. That way is not workable. The PHF should keep a national talent record and set up a planned growth program in every province. Young players should be watched, trained and exposed to step by step higher levels of matches. The shift from junior to senior hockey should be planned rather than left to luck.
Pakistan is also lucky to have a great group of former Olympians and world players whose skill remains a priceless national asset. Legends of Pakistan hockey should not be called only for events and photos. Their knowledge should be used in coaching growth, talent hunt, technical planning, guiding and academy programs. The experience of those who won Olympic and World Cup titles can help the new lot know what it takes to play under the huge pressure of playing for Pakistan.
Modern hockey, however, needs much more than experience and love for game. The world game has become quicker, more skilled and more physically tough. Pakistan needs spending on sports science, fitness, diet, video study, goalkeeping, penalty-corner experts, injury control and sports mindset. Coaching must also become more steady. Rather than often changing path, Pakistan needs a clear playing style that starts with junior hockey and goes on through the senior national team.
Foreign exposure must be another key aim. Pakistan cannot expect its players to fight with the world’s best if they rarely play against them. Regular tours and foreign matches should become a must part of the national plan. At the same time, Pakistan should make more use of its own hockey grounds by calling strong foreign teams to play here. Bringing world hockey back to Pakistan would give players useful matches while giving young fans the chance to watch world stars in their own country.
The money side of hockey also needs true focus. Pakistan hockey cannot be rebuilt without funds, but funds must be backed by openness and expert handling. Sponsors need trust that their money is being used in the right way. Players and coaches need firm contracts and payments. Growth programs need fixed budgets and clear results. A professional federation should be able to show clearly how funds are raised and how they are spent. Openness is not a hurdle to sponsorship. It is one of the bases of lasting sponsorship.
The PHF leadership must also know that answerability and backing can go together. The hockey circle should back good steps while keep asking hard questions about results, planning and money matters. Positive criticism should not be seen as enmity. If all truly want Pakistan hockey to come back to the top, open talk is a must.
Perhaps the biggest need of all is unity. Pakistan hockey has suffered a lot from splits, personal fights and internal disputes. Former players, present players, coaches, officials, departments, academies, sponsors and fans may not always agree, but they should be able to agree on one basic rule: the green shirt belongs to Pakistan, not to any person, group or administration.
This is where Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani has a historic chance. His legacy should not finally be judged simply by the count of medals won during his time. It should be judged by whether he and his team were able to build a professional setup able to produce success for many years to come. If the present leadership can build a strong local league, improve youth growth, involve former Olympians, modernize coaching, raise foreign exposure and bring more money transparency, it could leave behind something far more worth than a single medal.
The Asian Games bronze should so be seen as a start. Pakistan should now aim higher, first on coming back to the top of Asian hockey, then on becoming a regular force in world hockey and finally on coming back to the Olympic podium. These goals will need patience, spending and discipline, but they are not out of reach. Pakistan has already shown that the skill and fighting spirit are still there.
The task now is to build the system around that skill.
The players have shown that they can fight back on the field. The management must now show that it can build for the future off the field. The Asian Games bronze has opened the door again. It is now the duty of the PHF leadership and the whole Pakistan hockey family to walk through it together.
Pakistan hockey has a great past, but only memories will not bring it back. The future will be decided by what Pakistan does today to grow its next lot of players.
Bronze today must become the base for gold tomorrow. Pakistan hockey should not just recall its great era. It should build the next one.
