Inaugural Sri Lanka Masters Hockey League on 23 Sept.

The inaugural Sri Lanka Masters Hockey League (MHL) will be worked off on 23 September at the Astro Turf Hockey Complex, Colombo 7 with the participation of more than 100 ex-national stickers from different districts. 

Eight teams, each consisting of nine players with three reserves, comprising former Sri Lankan national hockey legends, will play in the 16-match (12 league and four finals) professionally organised master league tournament.

Organised by the Sri Lanka Masters National Hockey Association, the first ever Sri Lanka Masters ‘Signature’ Hockey League will feature the legends playing, sometimes for the first time since they retired in the 1980s. 

The former national caps, who had played in various international tournaments, including Asia Cup Hockey games since the early 1980s, have gathered to render their services to the sport, in which Sri Lanka’s standards in the international arena have somewhat gradually deteriorated. 

The Colombo Wolves, Colombo Dragons, Matale Panthers, Matale Vipers, Kandy Lions, Uva Rhinos, Colombo Tuskers and Merc Spiders will vie for the prestigious Signature Cup under two groups initially. Each team will play three games and the two group champions will play for the cup, while the other six teams will play in the plate, bowl and shield finals depending on their standing after the group matches.

Sri Lanka is ranked as the fourth best nation in the South Asian region and is ranked below 40th in the world according to the 2017 Hockey World League rankings. Sri Lanka was once considered among the world’s better sides in the 1970s but failed to perform well at the international level for about four decades, though the country has shown some improvement since 2015. 

“Masters future plan is to conduct this tournament as an annual event and to get foreign teams as a surprise for Sri Lanka hockey lovers after a long break,” said Sri Lanka Masters National Hockey Association Secretary Ratnasiri Mahagalaella. He said the main objective of the association was to encourage, promote, develop and control amateur hockey for men and women and to conduct free training and coaching sessions for schoolchildren on request mainly in Sri Lanka’s rural schools and provide free hockey equipment. The number of the teams is limited to eight to ensure quality hockey throughout the day. The Sri Lanka Masters National Hockey Association plans to conduct the tournament annually and distinguish it as a much anticipated event on the hockey calendar. The first tournament has been organised in a highly professional manner.

The tournament’s main sponsor is the Signature brand of Hameedia, a household name for men’s ready-made garments in Sri Lanka.

 “Continuing our support towards developing Sri Lankan sports and personalities, we have decided to give a facelift to the Sri Lanka’s Master Hockey League 2017,” says the Marketing General Manager of the Signature brand of Hameedia Indika Perera. 

“Our intention is to make this tournament an effective, engaging session for Sri Lankan hockey favourites.”