A. Rubini, wife of former national hockey captain S. Kuhan, had a simple dream – a youth tournament in towns that rarely see Olympians and national players.
That inspired her to organise the ‘TNB Thunderbolts Hockey Carnival Port Dickson’ last weekend. It was a success with 24 under-14 teams – 12 male, and 12 female – taking part.
There were 10 players in each team in the seven-a-side tournament.
There was also a six-team ‘veteran’ tournament that saw the likes of national coach A. Arul Selvaraj, national manager Datuk Mirnawan Nawawi, Kevin Nunis, M.A. Sambu, Nor Azlan Bakar, and several guest players.
Among the guest players were Arul’s wife K. Soloseeni, and their daughters, Erin and Deepa, who also played in the youth tournament.
It was a special moment for Arul, as it was the first time the family played together in a tournament.
Rubini said the carnival aimed to promote hockey among young children, to get them excited about the sport by bringing former national players and Olympians to their towns, and to get children off their gadgets.
“We had teams from places like Jempol and Bahau, from Klang and Penang, and some Tamil schools,” said Rubini, whose company, SLV Lifestyle, also sponsored a boys’ and girls’ team from Pahang (SK Merting), with mostly Orang Asli players.
“I was inspired by watching some Orang Asli kids playing in a tournament early this year. They had good skills but lacked exposure.
“That was why we decided to sponsor the Merting school for this tournament.”
She said the tournament was not about unearthing the next national star but allowing children to rub shoulders with hockey legends.
“Sports is also a way to bring children out of their homes. Many do not have social skills as they are too busy with tablets and phones,” said Rubini.
“We wanted something exciting for them. That was the reason for the tournament.”
Rubini said she chose Port Dickson for the pilot tournament as she noticed that most hockey tournaments were in places like Seremban, Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, and other major towns.
“I decided we needed to have tournaments in smaller towns. We started with PD as it is Kuhan’s hometown,” she said.
“The plan was to have a small event, five or six teams, but the hockey groups started sharing the news, and we had to cap it at 24 teams.”
Rubini said another reason for choosing Port Dickson was because it was once a popular tourist destination, and she wanted to use the tournament to promote sports tourism.
“PD is such a lovely town and has many places for families to spend their time,” said Rubini, who added that the teams even had time to take in the sights and sounds around the town.
“This is our initial tournament, but if everything works out and we can get more corporate sponsors, I hope to have two or three tournaments in different towns next year. We can also help promote the sights there.”
She said she was grateful to the former players for organising coaching clinics and signing autographs for the children.
Besides prizes for the winning teams, each player received a participation medal and a hockey ball.
Meanwhile, Arul praised the tournament for bringing joy to many children.
“It was a wonderful tournament personally, as I got to play with my family, but meeting the children was an eye-opener,” said Arul.
“Many kids told me they were delighted to have the opportunity to meet me and the other hockey players, as they had only seen us on television.
“I remember how excited I was as a kid when meeting my hockey heroes and how that inspired me to be a national player.
“Hopefully, we can inspire them too.”
Arul also applauded the decision to give a hockey ball to each player.
“Many people spend money on hockey sticks and other equipment but neglect buying hockey balls,” said Arul.
“That was one thing I never understood. Some schools have 20-30 players but only five or six balls. That means the players hardly touch the balls,” said Arul.
“We need players comfortable playing with the ball. By giving them one each, they can practise at home.”
Separately, Nunis, a member of the organising team and National Hockey Development Programme coach, said he was surprised by some of the players.
“There were some skilful players. It shows we need to go to more places, as you’ll never know where you might find the next star,” said Nunis, who played in the veteran’s tournament with his daughter Yasmin Natasha and her husband Mohammad Yashar Mohamat Yatim for the K.K. (Kevin-Kuhan) Hockey Team.
“It was fun to get back on the field, and play hockey for the first time with my daughter and son-in-law. It was also great to see Kuhan’s son and my grandchildren play in the Under-14 tournament.
“It was a family affair but also a good way to spot talent.”
He added that Rubini had worked tirelessly to find the funds and hoped more corporate sponsors would step forward to help her.
Results
Under-14
Boys: 1. Highlanders, 2. Jempol, 3. D Touch
Girls: 1. D Touch, 2. Pegasus, 3. K.K. Hockey Team
