An expected 5-month-long closure of King’s Park Hockey Ground as it undergoes re-turfing is expected to create a fixture headache for the Hong Kong Hockey Association (HKHA) next season.
With the curtain coming down for the 2012-13 season, with last Sunday’s knock-out tournament finals of the HKHA Cup, Plate and Bowl, all eyes are now focused on the new season ahead.
As such, the HKHA is likely to rethink the structure of the league to accommodate the more than 150 men’s and women’s teams that play their game each season.
The association has pencilled in maintenance at the Wylie Rd venue—the site of the SAR’s first artificial turf hockey pitch—for October this year. Able to seat approximately 700 fans, the venue has been home to Hong Kong’s international fixtures since it’s re-opening in 1981 for the Asian-Oceania Men’s U21 World Cup qualifier.
“With the closure of King’s Park Hockey Ground for re-turfing and other improvement works, the HKHA is faced with a monumental task of how to accommodate the large number of matches next year,” said Sarinder Dillon, president of the HKHA.
“The HKHA have approached the Leisure & Cultural Services Department for help to make more slots available for the league at other LCSD venues. The dialogue between the HKHA and LCSD is on-going,” explained Dillon.
Part of the debate on restructuring the seven men’s division in the 2013-14 league season includes how many teams will be relegated and promoted between divisions, which will best alleviate the scheduling dilemmas.
Meanwhile, one of the confirmed promotions to the 1st Division belongs to former men’s champions Nav Bharat Club’s A team (NBC-A). They will play where they once reigned supreme after topping the 2012-13 2nd Division table.
Dillon, who plays for NBC-A, said it was “great” that his side had won promotion.
“It’s great to be back,” he said about NBC’s return to 1st Division action from league limbo. The team had been an established field-hockey powerhouse in the 1970s, winning nine 1st Division titles between 1971-1988 and collecting an astonishing 14 Holland Cup trophies between 1961 and 1989.
Dillon said that the 2012-13 Premier Division season was all the more enticing due to the higher number of Punjabi teams, which seem to have prospered with some strong financial backing to bring in classy overseas players, making the league strong and more entertaining for the local fans.
