Twenty-eight teams to battle it out at 1st Hockey India Junior Men Academy National Championship 2021
The 2021 junior men academy championship will begin on October 18
|Hockey India
The 1st Hockey India Men Academy National Championship will kick-start on October 18 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, with 28 teams participating in it. Following six days of group stage matches, the quarter-finals will be played on October 24, the semi-finals two days later, and the final on the 27th.
A total of 28 teams will battle it out to etch their names in the history books as they gear up for the 1st Hockey India Junior Men Academy National Championship that gets underway from Monday, October 18, 2021 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
After six days of pool matches, the Quarter Finals will be played on 24 October and following a day's break Semi-Finals will be held on 26 October. The Medal matches of the inaugural edition of the tournament are scheduled for 27 October 2021.
Welcoming Hockey India's initiative to organize an exclusive championship for Academies, Ghumanhera Riser's Academy coach Baljeet Singh expressed, "This tournament gives those players a chance, who missed out on the state team selections, it gives an opportunity to showcase their talent on a national platform. Exclusive tournaments for academies is a very good move by Hockey India as it will not only give exposure to young players but also motivate academies like us to produce more talents for the country. To be honest, we have been really enjoying being a part of this kind of setup. As an academy, it gives us an opportunity to test ourselves about where do we stand, we can get to know about how other academies work, so it's a great platform for players as well as academies."
He further added that their team had faced difficulties due to COVID-19 pandemic situations, but they are prepared in all the possible ways and are confident of performing well in the tournament.
"Due to COVID-19 situation, it was really difficult to assemble players and form a team, so there were a lot of difficulties initially. But, I would say, we are prepared in all the possible ways, and are confident of performing well in the tournament."
Speaking about SGPC Hockey Academy's preparations for the tournament, coach Bhupinder Singh stated that the team is very excited about taking part in this prestigious event and they have prepared taking weather conditions into consideration.
"We are very excited about taking part in this prestigious event. We have waited for a long time for any kind of competition. Preparation-wise, we have left no stones unturned, in fact, we have had prepared taking weather conditions into consideration as it will be hot in Bhopal. Also, I think it's a great opportunity for academy players to play on a national level, and it will certainly benefit them," said SGPC Hockey Academy coach Bhupinder Singh.
Meanwhile, Praful Tirkey, coach of Naval Tata Hockey Academy- Jamshedpur, who are grouped in Pool A said, "We have been training since August itself under a bio-secure bubble. Our players had been waiting for a long time for their first competition, and as soon as they heard about the Academy nationals, they got very excited. It's a great initiative by Hockey India to introduce tournaments for academies because before that a lot of players used to leave the sport because they were not getting opportunities in State competitions, so I think Academy Nationals broaden the scope for them. If more and more players will be involved, more it will benefit to inculcate a competitive culture or to lay a strong hockey foundation at the grassroots."
