• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Pakistan Cricket Board Set To Fund National Hockey Team For Fih Pro League

Pakistan Cricket Board Set To Fund National Hockey Team For FIH Pro League

Rajgeeta Yadav

PCB ready to give funds to national hockey team [Source: AFP and @JaspritSingh09/X.com]PCB ready to give funds to national hockey team [Source: AFP and @JaspritSingh09/X.com]

In a surprising move, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly agreed to financially support the Pakistan national hockey team so they can take part in the upcoming FIH Pro League, an international field hockey tournament.

According to a report by Telecom Asia Sport, Pakistan’s hockey team received an invitation to join the next season of the FIH Pro League after New Zealand withdrew from the competition last month. Pakistan was invited alongside India to fill the vacant spot.

Pakistan Hockey Team’s Entry In FIH Pro League Secured

However, there was a big hurdle, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) didn’t have the money. The team needed 700 million Pakistani Rupees (around $2.5 million) to participate, and due to the financial crunch, they turned to the Pakistan Sports Board and even involved Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for support, as reported by First Post.

Now, sources say the PCB has stepped in and agreed to take full responsibility for the funding and management of the hockey team’s participation. A source close to the situation told Telecom Asia Sport that the PHF will not be involved in any financial or administrative decisions, as the PCB will be handling everything on its own.

“It’s confirmed. PCB will take care of all the financial and administrative aspects of it, with no interference from the PHF. PCB will appoint its own personnel and possibly contract event organisers to execute the planned move.” said the source.

The PHF has until August 12 to officially accept the FIH invitation, and a formal announcement is expected very soon.

While the PHF remains the official body for hockey in the country, many are seeing this as a temporary takeover by the PCB for this specific international tournament. PHF President Mir Tariq Hussain Bugti and Secretary Rana Mujahid had been trying to raise sponsorships to keep control, but PCB’s stronger financial position seems to have tipped the scales.

An official from PCB also confirmed this move to Telecom Asia Sport, saying,

“Yes, PCB is going to help Pakistan hockey.”

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time PHF asked for PCB’s help. Back in 2018, PHF requested a loan from PCB to send the team to a major tournament in India, but the cricket board had refused back then.

For those unfamiliar, the Men’s FIH Pro League is one of the top global field hockey events. It replaced the old Hockey World League and now acts as a qualifier for both the Hockey World Cup and sometimes the Olympic Games.