Finally Nimbus Sports have given Indian hockey fans something to cheer about in midst of IHF-HI fight. Nimbus has announced that inaugural edition of World Series Hockey, a joint venture with IHF will start from December 15, 2011.
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| World Series Hockey, Nimbus-IHF venture |
After the success of now defunct Premier Hockey League and Europe’s biggest hockey competition Euro Hockey League (EHL), World Series Hockey is soon to become the next big thing in World Hockey. With 8 teams and 176 hockey stars the tournament is dream come true for every hockey fan around the world.
Apart from being the hockey tournament which involves big money and participation of top players, WSH is also going to play a big role in the revival of Indian hockey which is marred by the battle between IHF and HI.
1. Generate interest among people
WSH is going to generate great interest among the people of India. One of the major complain every Indian hockey fans is lack of live hockey action on TV. Indian team plays many tournaments but not all tournaments are shown live on the TV. Recently concluded Sultan Azlan Shah and Champions Challenge I was not shown on TV and many hockey fans missed the Indian team games. By showing games live on TV Indian hockey can gain many new fans.
2. Developing young talent
Second thing that WSH is going to do for Indian Hockey is developing young hockey talent in the country. According to WSH, the franchisees will also have to develop the game and the infrastructure of Indian Hockey. By developing infrastructure of hockey, the franchisees will also help in bringing out new players for the team. The current lot of Indian team is the same from the last 4-5 years and very few players are able to come in the team.
3. Monetary rewards
WSH is also going to make the hockey players richer. The players which receive very less money from the board and the sponsors will get good amount of money from their respective franchisees. Players will have good monetary benefits from the players.
4. Match experience and fitness
Indian players will be participating with international players from all around the world. The younger lot will learn a lot from he experienced players and the veterans of the game. Players will also train under foreign coaches and training staff who put a lot of effort in the fitness of the players. Players will gain good experience and learn a lot from their foreign companions.
WSH is going to be a great experience for the players and the fans when there are going to witness a month of great hockey extravaganza. Let us hope that WSH turns out to be a path of revival for the Indian hockey team.
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