CSR: Promoting Hockey
Cricket is the only sport that gets serious light in the country. Indian cricketers make somewhere around 2 crore rupees per annum. This is in the games. With the limelight they receive, they easily make way more than that in endorsements. However, the hockey players in India make somewhere around 15 lakh rupees per annum.
This has discouraged many people to take up sports other than cricket as their profession. The hockey players in the country do not lack talent or courage, but they do not always have the required equipment to practice.
Manisha Dhawal (age 20), Senior girls’ team captain of women’s hockey team of Gurgaon, who has also played at national level said, “We used to practice without proper equipment and we had to borrow hockey sticks from other team members.”
DLF foundation is working towards curbing the situation. In an endeavor to promote sports among women and motivate women athletes, the organisation has distributed hockey kits to Gurgaon women’s hockey teams. A total of 54 kits are distributed among Junior, Sub-Junior and Senior Women’s teams at Government boys senior secondary school, Gurgaon village. The state-of-the- art hockey kit is aligned to international standards.
Payal (18), Junior girls’ team captain, who has also played nationals said, “We are feeling very much delighted and respected by this gesture of the Foundation. This initiative of encouraging and promoting women in sports is highly commendable. They have provided us with proper kits which consist of hockey sticks, shoes, shin guards, track suits etc. Now we can practice without getting injured. I can practice better with better equipment.”
Gurgaon Village has produced the maximum number of hockey players from Haryana. Majority of the women’s hockey team of Gurgaon also has players belonging to Gurgaon village.
Dr. Vinay Sahni, CEO, DLF Foundation said: “Women’s hockey team is a pride of the city and a torchbearer to budding players. This initiative is a part of our efforts to motivate athletes and encourage more women to embrace sports as their profession.”
Haryana has been at the forefront in encouraging sports. Many players have brought laurels to the state. Haryana was crowned champion in 8th Hockey India Sub Junior (Women) National Championship 2018 (A Division) held recently. Hockey is the national game of the country and a recent stellar performance in Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast has lifted hopes.
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The CSR Journal Team
