Saudi Gazette Report

 

DAMMAM — Field hockey has finally arrived in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Hockey Federation recently won accreditation by International Hockey Federation (IHF).



Though many Saudis are not very well versed with the sport, they have shown keen interest in learning the game which is regularly practiced at Al-Ettifaq Club in Dammam Sports City.



The endorsement was celebrated with a tournament. The Middle East-Bhopal Hockey Premier League became a reality when 11 teams from Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Khobar, Jubail, Bahrain and Egypt participated in the league and surprised many with their enthusiasm and sense of competitiveness.



Dammam bagged the league championship, while Dhahran ended up second. A team comprising veteran Bhopali players — Bhopali Nawabs — was third.



Later an exhibition match was also played between Riyadh and Dammam Bhopali veteran players. Mehmood Khan, Arif Khan, Rasheed Khan and Ather Khan, surprised many with their stamina, swift movement and stick work.



A lot of credit for the success of the tournament goes to Shaheryar Mohammed Khan, a player from the Indian city of Bhopal, which has produced many great players such as Aslam Sher Khan. Shaheryar took the initiative in organizing the first-ever league match under the patronage of Prince Saud Bin Turki Bin Fahd Al-Faisal Al-Saud.



Saudi hockey team member Ali Zaman was also in the forefront of the event. Among the main sponsors and promoters were Bhopal NRIs — a group of hockey lovers from Bhopal including Shaheryar, Mehmood, Mansoor Siddiqui, Iqbal Hussain, Rafat Farouqui, Rasheed, Arif, Ameen Khan, Baber Khan and Zaheer Khan.



Many players like Osama Javed, Adnan, Qamar, Sattar, Hamza, Mubarak, Qayyum and Yashpal Rana coordinated and helped organize the league.