COURSE ASSIGNMENT

National Game in National Crisis

Revival of Field Hockey in Pakistan

SUBMITTED TO:
Dr. Mustafa Hyder
Course In charge:
(HRM 719: Crisis Management)
University of Karachi

SUBMITTED BY:
Zain Aman
M. Phil (Public Administration)
Department of Public Administration
University of Karachi
1. Brief Introduction to the organization / person / situation of study

Hockey is one of the most promising sports which require and polish all of the physical, mental and
cognitive skills of an athlete which no other sport can offer. This nourishment of skills not only
produces a healthy lot of youngsters of a country but also helps in creating an intellectually sound
group of individuals who accelerate in both sports and academic avenues by using their strategic
planning and leadership skills.

Hockey stands as the only sport of the country which has brought the maximum amount of Olympic
medals including 3 Golds to our country and 4 world cup trophies which itself is a proud record held
by our country. Pakistan Hockey has produced many a great legends that have inspired many other
nations to being hockey at their grounds.

Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) is the national governing body for field hockey in Pakistan. It is
affiliated to the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and International Olympics Committee (IOC).
PHF holds the responsibility for administering, governing, organizing, controlling and promoting field
hockey in line with the defined parameters and rules of FIH. PHF has its own governing body or the
“PHF Congress” which comprises of members representing different District Hockey Associations
(DHAs). PHF works under the leadership of one President followed by a Secretary General. Both
positions are filled by competent individuals who are elected by the congress. The Prime Minister of
Pakistan is the Patron in Chief of PHF.

Operational functions of PHF:

As per the PHF constitution, The Pakistan Hockey Federation, a National Association, is an
autonomous body that, in accordance with the terms and conditions of registration with the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) through the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and the
terms and conditions of its membership with the International Federation of Hockey (FIH), shall:

1. Preserve the independence of the PHF in all matters directly or indirectly concerning Hockey
in Pakistan without the intervention of any outside authority; and

2. Make no provisions or rules that are contrary to the IOC Charter or the FIH Statute & Rules;

3. Whilst abiding by the terms and conditions of its membership with the FIH and IOC, accept
assistance, grants and aid from, and cooperate with, the Pakistan Sports Board.

For any matters pertaining to PHF finances including revenues and expenditures, the PHF
management is liable before the PHF congress which is the supreme governing body of all financial,
operational and administrative matters of PHF.
2. Identification of crisis:
The performance of Pakistan hockey for the last few decades has been dismal, to say the least.
The country which dominated the hockey arena till 80’s is nowhere visible in world reckoning.
Moreover, the national game lost the charm for younger generation hampering new talent,
besides hockey lost all the patronage and sponsorship.

Social Crisis:
Overall deterioration of societal factors have led to a collapse in sports activities particularly for
Hockey. The luxuries of the past have now become mere necessities of today because of which
young players find it difficult to afford to purchase equipment and play hockey. The game which
was once known as a “poor man’s game” has now become one of the most expensive games to
play. Non-availability of funds along with misallocation of the available funding has given
financial losses to PHF. Such funding may have been used in appropriate manner for domestic
activation of hockey.

Financial Crisis:
Economic instability has caused an increase in overall inflation level leading to the lack of facilities
and economic standing of Pakistan hockey, with this being said, Young talented players have
begun to explore other sports avenues which offer to them more lucrative remuneration plans
and a much secured financial standing. Therefore, Pakistan Hockey has already lost and is further
losing emerging & promising young players.

Operational Crisis:
Institutional mismanagement of PHF has played a key role in the downfall of Pakistan hockey.
Previous managements did not keep hockey up to their priorities resulting in poor governance
and non-productivity. As a result of this lack in management and administrative skill set, previous
managements also failed to keep up with the emerging trends and technologies of field hockey,
thus leaving Pakistan hockey far behind than the developed countries. Educational barriers also
played an important role in destabilizing Pakistan hockey. Lack of professionalism, academic skills
and knowledge base has resulted in institutional dysfunction and poor governance. Due to this,
the base of field hockey has decreased with no steps taken for its expansion. The Federation of
International hockey (FIH) used to consult Pakistan in its key matters pertaining to their global
policies, however due to the non-serious behavior of previous representatives, FIH has now
revoked Champion’s Trophy tournament from their annual calendar which was introduced and
pioneered by Pakistan

Technological Crisis:
Unlike other countries, Pakistan has not upgraded its field hockey management with the
available technology in sports. While many countries have adopted scientific methods of
assessing, maintaining and uplifting the quality of field hockey, Pakistan Hockey Federation has
lagged behind. For instance, the equipment used in practice sessions are outdated because of
which the teams remain under prepared for international tournaments and face embarrassing
losses at the behest of opponent teams.
3. Background and causes of the crisis identified:
Field hockey in Pakistan was inherited with the independence of the country in 1947 and the
governing body, Pakistan hockey federation was established one year later. Initially the
administrative structure of PHF ensured leadership in the hands of a nominated President of the
federation and as the game of hockey evolved, so did the administrative structure of PHF. Up till
1996 PHF was led administrators with military background and had proven to be a productive
choice. However, after the 1996 Atlanta mutiny carried out by Pakistan Hockey team, the
federation lost its say and most of the administrators from then on were politically chosen at the
behest of the Prime Minister of Pakistan. along with this, the hockey players became less
accountable for their actions an poor performances due to which, the federation lost its
dominance over the players and has now been reduced to a mere governing body that can only
prescribe policies and organize events. The constitution has remained unchanged for the last 10
years and the financial rules have not been revised in line with the current PPRA rules. The services
rules were drafted in 2015 but that too were lost in the files unimplemented.

Globally the game of Hockey has faced a deterioration in popularity. The game that used to attract
massive amount of audiences on Television and Stadia is now reduced to a closed circle of hockey
lovers who only watch the game for the sake of their inherited pride or association with the sport.
Politicizing of the Federation a los played an important role in the downfall of Hockey. Players
began grouping and unionizing due to which the federation lost its esteem and command over
the players. The politicized administrative structure of PHF has led the organization to more and
more crises and have begun a vicious cycle of damaging the game and the organization. Along
with this, the leadership style and traits are also lacking in the administrative structure of PHF.
While Hockey Federations of other countries are led by competent entrepreneurs, in Pakistan,
the leadership of PHF had been entrusted with former players who despite were world champions
and gold medal winners in their era, have not proven to be sound organizational leaders or
administrators. Countries including Argentina and Holland have appointed players from Pakistan
and improved their quality of field hockey, but Pakistan is still lagging behind leaving the existing
fan base in dismay.

The overall crisis of the organization has its roots in a number of factors or causes due to low
popularity and lack of attention on field hockey, there has been a deterioration of infrastructure
of stadiums in Pakistan. Lack of playing fields have steered potential players away from the game
leaving the stadiums empty. Pakistan Hockey federation has been subjected to immense financial
mismanagement because of which the quality of the game has been compromised. Players are
not provided with ample facilities and the federation has not spent the amount of money granted
by the government of Pakistan, wisely. This has caused the sponsors from corporate sector to
divert their funds to other popular sports such as cricket which has gained far more popularity
than hockey over the years. Lack of budget and funding has led PHF to its current uncertainty. The
major factors and causes of crisis of Pakistan Hockey Federation are further discussed below:
1. Deterioration of social infrastructure:
Overall deterioration of societal factors has led to a collapse in sports activities particularly
for Hockey. The luxuries of the past have now become absolute necessities of today because
of which young players find it difficult to afford to purchase equipment and play hockey. The
game which was once known as a “poor man’s game” has now become one of the most
expensive games to play. Non-availability of funds along with misallocation of the available
funding has given financial losses to PHF. Such funding may have been used in appropriate
manner for domestic activation of hockey.

2. Economic Instability:
Economic instability has caused an increase in overall inflation level leading to the lack of
facilities and economic standing of Pakistan hockey, with this being said, Young talented
players have begun to explore other sports avenues which offer to them more lucrative
remuneration plans and a much secured financial standing. Therefore, Pakistan Hockey has
already lost and is further losing emerging & promising young players.

3. Institutional mismanagement:
Institutional mismanagement of PHF has played a key role in the downfall of Pakistan hockey.
Previous managements did not keep hockey up to their priorities resulting in poor governance
and non-productivity. As a result of this lack in management and administrative skill set,
previous managements also failed to keep up with the emerging trends and technologies of
field hockey, thus leaving Pakistan hockey far behind than the developed countries.

4. Academic boundaries:
Educational barriers also played an important role in destabilizing Pakistan hockey. Lack of
professionalism, academic skills and knowledge base has resulted in institutional dysfunction
and poor governance. Due to this, the base of field hockey has decreased with no steps taken
for its expansion. The Federation of International hockey (FIH) used to consult Pakistan in its
key matters pertaining to their global policies, however due to the non-serious behavior of
previous representatives, FIH has now revoked Champion’s Trophy tournament from their
annual calendar which was introduced and pioneered by Pakistan.
4. Outcomes of crisis identified and forecast:

Institutional dissolution:
Pakistan hockey Federation has been underperforming in the past 04 decades losing most
prestigious international titles that it once had under its belt. This along with the financial,
operational and social crises of the organization have led the stakeholders including
spectators, sponsors, global hockey federations and other entities into believing that the field
hockey in Pakistan cannot be revived and rather than investing any other efforts into its
revival, Pakistan Hockey Federation should now be dissolved. Due to the diminished
popularity of the game, a number of public representatives have suggested that instead of
field hockey, cricket should now be recognized as the national game of the country.

Social demise of field hockey:

Field hockey once used to be the most popular game in Pakistan which resulted in its official
recognition as the National Game of the country. After repeated successful encounters with
the most dominant countries of the world and multiple victories in the world cup, field hockey
became a social sport among the youth of Pakistan in 1960s. however, after the financial and
institutional crises faced by Pakistan Hockey Federation, the game has lost its social popularity
and is no longer being viewed or played among the youth of Pakistan.

Human resource crisis:

The population of Pakistan comprises of 64% youth. Among the young population, a large
number of men and women pursue their careers in professional sports such as cricket,
football and tennis. However, field hockey is considered as the least favorite game of choice
for professional development due to the lack of its popularity and limited support by Hockey
Federation as well as other sports government institutions of the country. Because of this,
there exists a large gap of human resources in the form of promising athletes that could have
revived field hockey in the country.

National pride at stake:

Pakistan was considered as the most promising country for field hockey and its development.
However, after its downfall, the country also lost its pride and fame in the international
forums. Countries including Argentina and Holland used to appoint retired Pakistani Hockey
Players as coaches to develop their team. These countries are now on the leading front of the
game leaving Pakistan behind in a sorrowful position.
5. Management of the crisis identified:

5.1 Recommended solutions:

Field Hockey is the national game of Pakistan and the only sport of the country to have won gold
medals for Pakistan at the Olympics. The same sports have brought the maximum number of world
cup victories for the country. However, currently the Pakistan Hockey Federation is going through
numerous crises discussed above. In order to address, mitigate and prevent these crises, there is a
need for strong strategic intervention at national, political, bureaucratic and social levels to bring
about a change in the administrative structure of Pakistan Hockey Federation. The said intervention
must be implemented with time bound, specific deliverables and key performance indicators for
accountable execution. For this purpose, a viable strategic plan being proposed whereby, the most
relevant stakeholders for field hockey in Pakistan including, the patron in chief (Prime Minister of
Pakistan), National Sports Board, Pakistan hockey federation, Provincial, Regional and domestic
hockey federations, clubs, educational institutions and general masses shall be engaged to
implement the strategic plan to ensure sustainable results for field hockey. The said strategic plan is
divided into six major initiatives with each initiative having its own timelines, goals and deliverables
for successful implementation with cross sectioned accountability for optimum efficiency. The plan
requires ample budget and resources and should thus be implemented by the government of
Pakistan through specific directives to the concerned institutions.

5.1.1 Participation growth – increased participation at all levels by:

Activating school and club hockey.
Establishing Hockey Academies.
5.1.2 High performance – Hockey to lead as high performing sport and to establish professional high
performance structure with enhanced performance of national senior and junior team at all major
events.
5.1.3 Infrastructure – Revamping of existing facilities and build new infrastructure, which is
economically viable and self-sustaining, meeting long term strategic goals.
5.1.4 Governance – Transform PHF and all its affiliates with high degree of professionalism, high
standards of governance and transparency to become an effective business model and demonstrate
efficiency in its operations.
5.1.5 Marketing, Branding & Communications – Develop a commercially viable business strategy with
value added marketing approach, to generate positive and attractive contents coupled with a revised
communications strategy.
5.1.6 Revenue Generation – Develop a marketable business model for PHF to become even based
self-sufficient unit, generating commercial revenues for its development and operations.
5.2 Methodology to handle the situation:

5.2.1 (a) Participation Growth: Activation of School and Club Hockey

Games integrate discipline into an individual’s life style. Fair play incorporates honesty, integrity and
justice. Team work and team leaderships are some of the skills that are most desired in today’s world.
Sporting environment offers the opportunity for youth to develop their skills at an early stage. While
academic studies increase knowledge and awareness, sports activities develop mental and physical
strength. Together they offer a perfect blend of skills set, which ensures a well sounded individual. It is
crucial for academic institutions to integrate sports activities into the curriculum to ensure complete
development of an individual.

For this purpose, Pakistan hockey Federation must engage and promote participation of schools and clubs
in domestic hockey so as to produce long term benefits for the game.

Salient features of the initiative:

The said initiative shall comprise of the following features:

Selection of appropriate schools/clubs.

Building/revamping of Infrastructure.
Selection of athletes.
Pooling of Technical Expertise (Coaches).
Development of training plans.
Inter-School, Inter-Club Competitions
Competitions at regional level.
Competitions at national level.
Junior Hockey League.
National Talent hunt program

5.2.1 (b) Participation Growth: Establishment of Academies:

In order to enhance participation, establish state of the art residential based hockey academies. Sports
Academies are Institutions dedicated to provide technical and physical training to its students, so that
they can compete in the challenging environment of the world. Sports academies all around the globe are
working to meet the ever increasing demands of the sporting world. Sports academies usually offer part
time services, such as evening coaching and training sessions, where students are registered on part time
basis. However, this culture is gradually changing. Sports have now become a profession, which is
challenging and at the same time attracting an ever increasing number of individuals. Instead of part time
facilities, they now function as a full time educational institution. Apart from sports development, these
academies offer services such as academic curriculum, hostel facilities, certification and many other
features. Sports academies are now being recognized as Educational Institutions catering for individual,
who are determined to pursue their career in sports. For this purpose designated hockey academies
should be established across the country to promote budding players from the young population.
5.2.2 High Performance Structure:

In order to revive field hockey, there needs to be a high performance enabling structure allowing the local
hockey players to enhance their abilities and skills in a conducive environment. No sports can deliver to
its optimal potential in the absence of especially designed high performance development structure, a
major factor for the decline of Pakistan hockey. With the passage of time, hockey rules are being
amended, making rapid changes in the playing strategies. Thus hockey has become a high paced ball
circulation sports. Awareness, adaption to new rules and changed strategy by our players remained
missing due to unavailability of HP Structure in PHF, especially in coaching education which resulted into
Pakistan hockey out of pace and steam to compete at major international events. Following initiatives are
suggested to establish the HP Structure:-

Pakistan Premier Hockey League (PHL).

Hockey-5 Super Hockey League.
National Champions Trophy.
Residential based Hockey Academies.
National Excellence Academy as HP Centre.
Youth development relating to high performance (Youth available from club/school hockey.
Technical Official’s education and coaching education programs.
Education and accreditation system.
5.2.3 Restructuring/Governance:

To transform PHF into an effective professional business model with high standards of governance,
absolute transparency and efficiency, the current governance structure of PHF needs to be revised. A well-
developed organizational structure is a fundamental element of an Organization. Each individual in the
hierarchical chain can visualize his/her position in the organization. This implies that he/she has a well-
defined domain of responsibilities with an organization, which acts as support system to individuals higher
up in the chain of authority. This instills self-confidence and a sense of importance in an individual, which
acts as a motivator, as he/she plays a role towards the accomplishment of greater goal. Governance
always remained a weak link in PHF. Resources were not allocated and utilized in an effective and efficient
manner. This initiative is intended to remove the existing anomalies in the system and design and develop
a model, which ensures efficiency, transparency and coordination.

EXISTING ORGANISATION

PROPOSED ORGANIZATION
5.2.4 Revamp/Build New Infrastructure:

The importance of playing facilities needs no emphasis. It has become imperative to build new and revamp
existing infrastructure coupled with well charted business model for the revival of hockey from grass root
level. Revamping and upgrading of existing infrastructure making it operational will pay its dividends only
with a well thought out strategy for optimum use. It needs no emphasis that the new infrastructure be
built balancing out their geographical locations viz a viz ultimate benefits and their role fulfilling the
objectives of PHF. For this purpose, revamping and creation of new infrastructure shall provide PHF with
the opportunity to organize quality hockey tournaments for the young players and provide entertainment
for the general public. To achieve this objective, PHF must install new hockey turfs on obsolete ones and
carry out repair work on old stadium buildings. In addition to this, installation of floodlights and outdoor
screens to broadcast the matches shall also engage more audience with the sport.

5.2.5 Annual Grants to Affiliates:

PHF Affiliated bodies comprise of District Hockey Associations, Provincial hockey associations and their
respective stadia. These bodies require periodical financial assistance so as to identify and groom young
talented players at all levels. The young talent shall be given sound exposure through regular tournaments
at district and provincial levels based on which, top performers shall be identified for later on scrutinizing
for provincial and national teams. Most productive affiliates shall be further supported whereas less
productive ones shall face a deduction in their grants upon fair evaluation.

PHF affiliated, District and provincial hockey Associations play an important role in identifying most
competent hockey players and emerging young talent at grass root levels. These associations organize
regular tournaments between local clubs after which best hockey players are short-listed and further
catered to qualify all the way to the national team. However, because of short number of tournaments
and public events, young players tend to steer their interests and skills towards other sports activities
creating a scarcity of talent for hockey associations. In order to address this problem, PHF shall assist the
said affiliates to organize quality hockey tournaments on more frequent basis so as to identify, groom and
promote most talented hockey players for the national team. In order to effectively functionalize existing
hockey facilities at district and province levels, PHF must allocate annual grants to its affiliate units so as
to encourage more and more players to participate in the game.
5.2.6 Player’s Central Contracts:

The aim of this initiative is to provide financial stability to high performing hockey players of National
Team with less dependency on uncertain corporate market. PHF considers young emerging hockey players
as the pioneers of future of Pakistan Hockey. These players can only perform best when they are assure
of their financial standings, However, because of budgetary constraints and lack of employment
opportunities for young and uprising hockey players, Young talent is now more focused towards their
economic stability and academic persuasions due to which, PHF has lost and further losing a large number
of potential young players who may have proven to be our national asset. A sound financially promising
incentive mechanism can help PHF retain its best hockey players.

In order to provide financial stability and less dependency on unpredictable corporate employment
opportunities, PHF should introduce its best performers to a central player’s contract that shall ensure
sound financial stability to best hockey players and help the players to invest their complete energy, time
and concentration towards their performance. The contract should be granted to 26 players divided into
4 main categories with each category having its own pay scale and remunerations. In order to determine
which category a player deems fit for, a detailed evaluation must be conducted through a Physical,
Intellectual and Mental evaluation tool through which, players shall be placed in their suitable category
A, B, C or D.

5.2.7 Revenue Generation:

PHF must develop a marketable business model to become event based, self-sufficient, generating
commercial revenues for its development and operation. To expand and widen the base, a proper
organizational structure managed by professionals is essential to change the national hockey image, which
in itself entails a huge investment. Appropriately modified competitions structure orchestrated by
professionals is also a pressing need. Similarly, a big sum of investment is needed for marketing campaigns
for increased promotion and visibility of hockey. To improve the high performance structure and bring in
line with international standards, hockey requires massive investment in this field as well. Keeping in view
the case studies of leading nation’s high performance structure and international commitments, this has
become extremely expensive proposition. To keep the performance of national teams at desired level, a
continuous injection of funding needs no emphasis. Therefore, revenue generation must be an important
element of any future strategic plan to transform PHF.
5.2.8 Marketing, Branding & Communications:

Pakistan hockey earned its image as a brand across the globe in early 50s till the late 90s. However, today
the sports has lost its fan base and requires immediate attention to regain the lost audience and retain
the existing ones. For this purpose, the federation needs to develop a commercially viable business
strategy with value added marketing approach, to generate positive and attractive contents via elaborate
revised communications strategy encompassing all arrays of digital media.

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) must revive itself to proactively contribute to the global hockey
objectives. To re-establish itself as a powerful brand and to deliver world class events, a professional
approach needs to be taken. This approach must be statistically quantifiable, both in its objectives and its
effects through efficient application. The Marketing, Branding & Communications strategy will tend to
fulfill this purpose, to paint a clear image of what steps the PHF is planning to take in terms of subject
strategy and how the success of these steps will be measured, in order to identify strengths and weakness
in the approach in relation to the overall objectives. Following are some of the cardinal points:-

Develop and deliver a portfolio events maximizing marketing and commercial potential while
providing sufficient and suitable opportunities for the participation and growth of developing
affiliates.
Build and maintain an outstanding content and interactive offering across all media to activate
the strong fan base.
Foster strong, sustainable and active relations with commercial and cooperation partners.
Activate youth participation in hockey, maximize the efforts for sustainable growth of Asian
hockey through strong engagement and enhance participation of National Associations in AHF
and FIH events at all levels.
Implement a capacity building education and development program for National Associations to
achieve sustainable structures with an appropriate and professional workforce and well-
structured pathways for event officials, umpires and coaches.

5.3 Objectives of the proposed intervention:

To enhance participation and elevate hockey to high performing sport.

To increase professionalism and implement effective governance with high degree of
transparency
To build a recognized powerful image of hockey.
To develop innovative exciting events and present hockey as commercially marketable product.
5.4 Recommendations for recovery from the crisis identified (Recommend measures on institutional,
constitutional, social and community level):

In order to implement the aforementioned plan for the revival of field hockey in Pakistan, following
recommendations are presented:

Directive be issued from Honorable Prime Minister to constitute special committee for Pakistan
Hockey Board
Special directive of the Prime Minister of Pakistan be issued to Education and Sports Ministries
for promotion and support of school hockey and restoration of 2% admission quota.
Special directive to all Government, Semi-Government, Autonomous and Semi-autonomous
bodies to encourage & promote hockey by establishing their teams and creating infrastructure
2-3 existing stadiums be allocated to PHF to exploit revenue generation and making PHF a self-
sustaining outfit
Abolishment of parallel bodies against PHF
Directive be issued to financially health institutes to support PHF through CSR

Apart from the abovementioned recommendations, Pakistan Hockey Federation must take up the
following initiatives to address its current crises:

1. Appointment of High Performance Coaches:

Introduce international level coaching mechanism at school/club level and to enhance the overall
coaching standards in line with those defined by International Hockey Federation (FIH) so as to
increase the players’ competitiveness.
2. Transparent Payment practices:
Implement robust financial practices to ensure transparency and accountability at all levels.
Players who are entitled for DAs/TAs must be paid through cross cheques in their individual Bank
accounts and no representative, official or third party should be given the money to which the
player is entitled. Along with this, the purchasing practices must be aligned with the PPRA rules
outlined by the government.

3. Merit Based Selection:

Selection of players must be done through a stepwise process involving players’ assessment tools
and PHF selection committees at club/school, District, Division, Provincial and National levels.
Each player should be encouraged to show his/her performance whereas; any player at any level
can file complaints/grievances against unjust selections through PHF’s “Whistle Blower”
program. Complaints of athletes should be addressed directly by PHF management with their
secrecy ensured.
5.5 Preventive measures to avert the crisis in future:

After installation of the strategic plan outlined above, Pakistan Hockey Federation must infuse
some basic practices so as to prevent the crises from recurring. For this purpose, following
measures must be taken at the earliest.

Anti-Doping Education program with World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) must be carried out so
as to educate the young players on the possible hazards of substance abuse and usage of
prohibited medicines during their sports career.

Research study should be conducted to compare the best practices of sports management of PHF
with PCB international hockey federations and other successful countries.

Uniform coaching manual should be developed and implemented around the country. Due to the
varying terrains of the country, clubs and departmental hockey coaches are not following the
same pattern of teaching field hockey to young players. This results in players not being on the
same page during the national hockey camps. A uniform coaching manual would prevent such
crisis from recurring in future.

Umpires’ development program must be initiated to create skilled umpires in the country. This
would involve infusing sound accountability and professional attitude among players on the turf
aligning the local practices with global best standards.
6. Conclusion:

The administrative structure of the Pakistan Hockey federation has remained “Human dependent”
relying mostly on the competitiveness, intelligence and skills of the elected administrators on its
leading positions, to guide the federation towards growth and prosperity. However, the elected
officials on these leading roles has been mostly political and have invested most of their time in
safeguarding their position has the –president and secretary general of PHF. This along with the
disregard of rules by players and officials have led PHF to administrative/financial mismanagement,
nepotism, inconsistency in planning and poor implementation of any promising strategies. Such
elements have also steered away promising sponsors along with young athletes who do not wish to
pursue their professional sports career through field hockey. Thus the crises discussed above need to
be resolved at the earliest to bring PHF out its current condition. For this purpose, it is important that
the PHF must immediately be transformed into Pakistan Hockey Board (PHB) with the leading
administrator appointed directly by the Patron-In-Chief (The Prime Minister of Pakistan) so as to
ensure strong administration with responsible accountability of the institution. Along with this, the
financial and services rules of PHF must be revised with measurable elements infused to ensure strict
compliance with the said policies. The policies must be enforced to all cadres and ranks including
former / off season players with firm disciplinary actions against any breach.

Technological advancement must also be ensured from national to club/domestic levels with a single
pattern of coaching being followed across the country. This shall eliminate any inequality or
disharmony among players during the selection at national team camps. Services of Olympic stalwarts
and leading international teams must also be taken to introduce global best practices into the local
hockey structure.

However, the strategic plan mentioned above or any other promising initiative cannot become prolific
unless the Pakistan Hockey Federation is financial sustainable. For this purpose, it is recommended
that 2-3 stadia must be given to PHF with set timelines and deliverables to transform these venues
into commercially profitable entities providing ample financial support to PHF to meet its
administrative expenditures and cost of high quality tournaments. The federation is at the brink of
collapse and immediate implementation of the above mentioned viable strategic plan is a promising
solution to avert its current crises.
7. References:
1. RECOMMENDATIONS OF SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON INTER PROVINCIAL COORDINATION
LETTER NO. F.1 (11)/2016-COUNCIL, DATED 26TH DECEMBER 2016
2. LETTER 65-7/2009-10/PSB (COORD) DATED 16TH FEBRUARY 2016 REGARDING NATIONAL
ASSEMBLY STARRED QUESTION NO. 217 MOVED BY MS. MUSARRAT RAFIQUE, MNA
3. SENATE STARRED QUESTION NO. 208 MOVED BY SENATOR AHMED HASSAN LETTER NO. F.1
(11)/2016-COUNCIL, DATED 26TH DECEMBER 2016
4. NATIONAL ASSEMBLY STARRED QUESTION NO. 178 MOVED BY SHEIKH SALAHUDDIN, MNA
LETTER NO. F.17-2/2015 – PSB (NF) P-II DATED SEPTEMBER 27TH OCTOBER 2016
5. INTERNAL AUDIT OF PAKISTAN HOCKEY FEDERATION (PHF) ACCOUNTS FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR
2014-15 LETTER NO: 1092/SO (IPC) DATED: 8TH APRIL 2016
6. APPROVAL OF UN-APPROVED PROJECTS LETTER NO F. 51-337/2016-17/PSB (P&D) DATED 17TH
JANUARY 2017
7. PROPOSED PLAN FOR REVIVAL OF HOCKEY TO MINISTRY OF IPC LETTER NO. F.17-2/2015-PSB(NF)
P-II, DATED: OCTOBER 5TH 2016
8. RELEASE OF ANNUAL GRANT IN AID FOR THE YEAR 2015-16 LETTER NO. F.21.21-4/2015-16/PSB
DATED APRIL 25, 2016
9. LETTER 51-337/2016-17/PSB (P&D) DATED 28TH JULY 2016 REGARDING ‘REQUIREMENT OF
INFRASTRUCTURE’
10. 82ND MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF PAKSITAN SPORTS BOARD LETTER NO. F. 64-
200/2016-PSB (COORD), DATED 7TH NOVEMBER 2016
11. PROVISION OF INFORMATION/RECORD UNDER SECTION 27 OF NATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY
ORDINANCE 1999 LETTER NO. 1 (22) HQ/CVC/COMP/585/15/NAB-L DATED 31 OCTOBER, 2016
12. REQUEST TO REMOVE CORRUPT MAFIA FROM PAKISTAN HOCKEY FEDERATION LETTER NO. F.7-
61/2008-PSB (NF) P-VI, DATED 8 NOVEMBER 2016
13. RELEASE OF ANNUAL GRANT IN AID FOR THE YEAR 2015-16 LETTER NO. F.21.21-4/2015-16/PSB
DATED APRIL 25, 2016
14. REQUEST FOR SECURITY ASSISTANCE IN HOCKEY 9 A SIDE TOURNAMENT IN KARACHI (7TH – 14TH
AUGUST 2016)
15. PROVISION OF INFORMATION OF DISTINCTION ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE FIELD OF SPORTS LETTER
NO, AD (S) 6-16/2016 DATED: 21ST SEPTEMBER 2016
16. PROVISION OF INFORMATION/RECORD UNDER SECTION 27 OF NATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY
ORDINANCE 1999 LETTER NO. 1 (33) HQ/CVC/COMP/585/15/NAB-L DATED SEPTEMBER 30 2016,
17. TRAINING PLAN FOR XXXII SUMMER OLYMPICS GAMES JAPAN LETTER NO. F.56-1/2016-PSB (TRG),
DATED 29TH AUGUST 2016
18. INQUIRY OVER DISTURBANCES DURING THE INTERCLUB HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP 2016
PHF/DISC/26 DECEMBER 20, 2016.
19. MARCH 3RD 2017 INQUIRY AGAINST ALLEGATIONS OF PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT AGAINST
MS. ERUM BUKHARI
20. PHF CONFRONTED WITH INDIAN VISA GLITCH FOR JUNIOR WORLD CUP MOHAMMAD YAQOOB
OCTOBER 2, 2021 HTTPS://WWW.DAWN.COM/NEWS/1649564
21. WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR PAKISTAN HOCKEY: KHALID KHOKHAR KHALID HUSSAIN
SPORTS FEBRUARY 5, 2017: HTTPS://WWW.THENEWS.COM.PK/TNS/DETAIL/562665-WILL-
CONTINUE-FIGHT-PAKISTAN-HOCKEY-KHALID-KHOKHAR