I WOULD like to thank the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) for all their efforts in organising the 2021 Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) from March 11 to April 3, 2021 after obtaining approval from the National Security Council (MKN) and Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS).
Besides considering the guideline in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) set by MKN and KBS, the league will be held centrally in a sports bubble. As this will be the first time the league is held in such a way due to the ongoing pandemic, it is literally history in the making.
Despite the odds, it has been a mammoth task for MHC, who has taken in stride all the hardships and obstacles faced to make the league happen.
First introduced in 1987, the league was initially scheduled from January 14 to February 20, 2021 for the men's Premier category and Women’s category but had to be postponed after the Movement Control Order (MCO) was enforced on January 13, 2021.
Although it is the most expensive episode ever for the league, MHC president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal, deputy presidents Professor, Datuk Dr S. Shamala and Jadadish Chandra, Competitions Committee chairman, Datuk Seri Dr Anil Jeet Singh, and all behind the scenes have done a great job.
The reason it is so expensive is because all 14 teams ─ eight men and six women ─ will be housed at a hotel throughout the duration of the league. Bus drivers and ball-boys have also been included as a precautionary measure to protect the players against the Covid-19 threat. Technical officials and umpires will also stay at the hotel or be housed within the bubble; all in which will be covered by the MHC.
The men's competition will begin on March 11 with the women's event following suit four days later. Set to end on April 3, 2021, both tournaments will be held at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL), Terengganu Hockey Team (THT), Tenaga Nasional (TNB), TNB Thunderbolts, Maybank, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Sabah, and Nurinsafi will be competing in the men's Premier category while the women’s affair will be contested by PKS UniTen, Police Blue Warriors, Mutiara Impian, Sabah, Young Tigress and UniKL Ladies.
Participating teams are also putting in the effort, sacrifice, and expenditure required to make the league possible. Apart from implementing swab tests for players and officials, family members of UniKL's men's squad will undergo home-based quarantine during training while the women’s squad will be housed in a hotel during the training bubble ─ all of which requires financial support and extra expenditure on their part, obviously.
In fact, all the competing teams will be spending more this time around.
We also must thank MKN, the Health Ministry, Sports Ministry, National Sports Council (NSC), the police, and the army for playing their role as much as the respective stakeholders and teams, who are working hard and making the sacrifices needed to ensure the league becomes a reality.
Imagine team officials and players having to stay in the sports bubble for about a month and not being able to be with their respective families during this period; that’s a huge sacrifice not only on the part of the players but that of their family members as well.
Everyone involved is playing their part in seeing the league being organised and that is the beauty of it all.
In order to ensure everyone involved is free from Covid-19, players and officials are required to send the results of their Covid-19 swab test to MHC three days prior to checking into their special placement.
During the entire duration of the league, MHC will be organising routine swab tests to monitor the health of the players and ensure that everything is under control.
However, there are those who feel the league should be postponed to July 2021, believing that the pandemic will have eased by then. Despite the presence of vaccines, nobody can be sure if the Covid-19 threat would have been curbed by that time as we are all in a period of uncertainty. Should the league be held later in the year, there will be contract issues to deal with amongst the players.
Perhaps other sports associations can look upon what MHC has done as a model to be emulated during this difficult time.
It is also good that national players will have those important competitive matches to play in the league as it has been almost a year since they’ve had the opportunity to play in tournaments or test matches as a result of the pandemic.
Playing competitive matches while representing their respective teams in the league will help them to prepare for the crucial Asia Cup, which is scheduled for November 2021 at a yet-to-be-named venue.
The Asia Cup is part of the 2023 World Cup qualifiers scheduled to be held in Bhubaneswar, India, from January 13 to 29, 2023.
Before the Asia Cup mission, Malaysia is scheduled to host the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh in June and compete in the Asian Champions Trophy in Dhaka, Bangladesh in October 2021.
The national squad is also planning to have a training tour before the Asia Cup and Asian Champions Trophy.
It is also interesting to note that Sabah will be making its debut in the league this season for both the men's and women's categories.
On the part of the East Malaysians, there has been significant progress in the development of hockey over there. Credit must be given to the Sabah Hockey Association (SHA) and Sabah Sports School for all their efforts.
Once again, I would like to thank MHC and everyone involved in organising this league and I wish all the teams the best of luck for participating under a new normal without the support and presence of their fans.
Stay safe, everyone. ─ The Vibes, 6 March, 2021
