Hockey Association’s new rules greeted with mixed emotions
Not impressed: Simba’s Muhammad Ali (right) is one of the members of the hockey playing fraternity who has raised concerns over the new rules that took effect during the Easter Holiday. PHOTO by JB Ssenkubuge
What you need to know:
This debate also exposes the fact that the small talent pool has seen clubs eat into what would have been the game’s grassroots structure by recruiting primary school and lower secondary school students to play at the top level of the sport.
Kampala.
Uganda Hockey Association (UHA) have created a new rule that will see the respective best teams of the Easter Cup and Independence Open involved in a playoff to determine Uganda’s second representative at next year’s Africa Cup of Club Championship (ACCC).
The first representatives for both men and women will remain the winners of the National Hockey League (NHL) that starts next month.
Another rule that came into force during the Easter Cup that climaxed yesterday, demanded that players only represent clubs that they are sure of playing for in the NHL and Independence Open with transfers restricted to two windows.
However, going by general reactions and happenings over this Easter weekend, the UHA executive might not have fully assessed the impact of some of their new rules.
“It is unfortunate that players are stopped from playing for a side of their choice in an open,” Simba captain Muhammad Ali, who always beefs up his team during tournaments with Wananchi players when their clubs opts not to partake in tourneys, said.
The versatile player even insinuated the new rules target Simba and only favour Kampala Hockey Club (KHC) Stallions, who have made a habit of winning tournaments despite poor league displays.
KHC became the first local club to win the Easter Cup in the face of Kenyan opposition last year and also hold two of the last three Independence Open trophies.
“The league is played over four rounds and games last 70minutes. You cannot ignore a team that comes second in the league, for one that wins tournaments where we play 30minute games for two days,” Ali added. He speaks for many but another aggrieved group will be players on bursaries in schools like Kakungulu Memorial who must now the make the tough choice between representing their schools or clubs at Opens. All Kakungulu’s male and female hockey playing students also represent a club with the bulk of them in Wananchi.
Fortunately, this weekend, the Kakungulu administration prioritized the UMEA Games in Mbarara over the hockey tournaments thereby allowing hockey players represent their clubs.
‘Rules not cast in stone’
There is no hockey at the Muslim Games but what will happen in October when Kakungulu players have to chose between defending the schools’ trophy and helping their clubs make the ACCC grade?
“The rule was brought to make these tournaments as much competitive as the league but they are not cast in stone,” new UHA chairperson Lydia Dhamuzungu said.
Her argument is based on the fact that more clubs have won tournaments over the years unlike the NHL where Wananchi men and women have been champions four and two times in the last four seasons respectively.
“We shall listen to more ideas and we are open to all kinds of solutions that will improve hockey,” Dhamuzungu added.
Organizing separate tournaments for schools would be start and “it will allow traditional schools that run other programmes during Easter to participate,” Moses Nsereko, a schools’ coach, opined.
This debate also exposes the fact that the small talent pool has seen clubs eat into what would have been the game’s grassroots structure by recruiting primary school and lower secondary school students to play at the top level of the sport.
