From empty coffers to a Korean tour: Pakistan hockey’s road back

ISLAMABAD, Jul 28 (APP):With the South Korean team’s boots on Pakistani turf for the first bilateral series by a visiting international side in nearly 20 years, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) President Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani’s revival mission has produced its most visible dividend yet, a moment built in just five months of relentless work and several difficult decisions.

Wani took charge of the PHF as ad-hoc president in February 2026 following administrative changes ordered by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif amid reports of mismanagement within the federation. Since then, he has pursued a steady, methodical rebuild that stretches from the national team’s finances to grassroots pathways for boys and girls alike.

The scale of the challenge was, by his own account, daunting. Reflecting on the federation’s finances when he assumed charge, Wani had said the PHF’s account held a meager amount of pkr two million. Through sustained efforts and collaboration with government and private sector sponsors, that figure has since grown to pkr 400 million, funds he has insisted would go entirely toward player training and travel. He has repeatedly stressed that no foreign tours for federation officials, including himself, would be funded from this money.

Central to his approach has been handing technical control back to the men who once wore the national colours. “Look, it is time to move forward and hand over responsibilities to former Olympians who are eager to contribute,” Wani said, noting that never before in the country’s hockey history had so many former Olympians been simultaneously engaged in key roles.

“These stalwarts have now been given full authority to rebuild the national team and make it competitive against the best sides in the world,” he added. That trust has been reciprocated by a roster of former greats now embedded in the federation’s setup: Islahuddin Siddiqui and Hasan Sardar, who co-chair the PHF’s Development and Professional Advisory Committee; Samiullah Khan, appointed chief selector; Manzoorul Hasan, head coach of the senior national team; Khawaja Junaid, also on the coaching side; Ayaz Mahmood, head coach of the junior team; and Qamar Ibrahim, in charge of the Under-18 side.

Hasan Sardar and Islahuddin expressed confidence that Pakistan hockey could be put back on track within two years of the ad hoc committee’s reform agenda taking hold.  “If all goes according to plan, our national team can return to the elite group of top six teams in the world within two years,” Hasan Sardar said, “but this requires resources and proper patronage.”

That local expertise has now been paired with international know-how. Earlier this month, the PHF roped in a foreign coaching panel to lead the technical side of the revival programme, headed by Dutch coach Herman Kruis as Overall National Hockey Coaching Advisor and Head Coach, alongside David Dwyer as Fitness and High-Performance Coach, Adnan Zakir as Junior Talent Identification Coach, Bob Johan Veldhof as Goalkeeping Coach, and Chris Bowen as Sports Psychologist.

Wani described the appointments as the beginning of a new era for Pakistan hockey. “We are bringing together international expertise to rebuild every aspect of the game, from player development and sports science to coaching education and high-performance systems,” he said.

“Alongside preparing our national teams, these experts will mentor our local coaches and help establish a sustainable coaching infrastructure that will benefit Pakistan hockey for generations.”

The panel is assigned to work across the senior, junior, Under-18, youth and women’s national programmes.

The efforts are yielding results. In March, Wani paid tribute to the national team for qualifying for the Hockey World Cup after an eight-year gap, calling it a remarkable achievement.

“If the players continue to demonstrate this level of performance and commitment, the national team will soon

regain its lost glory,” he said.

Women’s hockey has not been left behind. “Women’s hockey has remained dormant for far too long, even at the domestic level. We are making a fresh start and are committed to creating regular competitions that will eventually help us rebuild a strong national women’s team,” Wani said, as the federation staged the Prime Minister National Women’s Under-21 Hockey Championship in Islamabad in early July. The tournament, contested by 16 teams from across the country, doubled as a talent hunt, with selected players recently getting chance to represent Pakistan in the Under-18 Women’s Asia Cup and the Under-18 Five-a-Side Asia Cup in Oman.

Wani said efforts were also under way to build a strong senior women’s national team, with qualified coaches to be appointed to nurture emerging talent.

Grassroots development has run in parallel across the board. In May, Wani announced that 60,000 to 70,000 youngsters were expected to take up hockey nationwide under a school and college outreach programme, distributing free kits to encourage participation among under-14 and under-16 age groups.

Corporate sponsors have also been drawn in: the PHF signed MoUs with Alaska Batteries and Sky 47 in May, with Wani telling the gathering, “This is not a one-day task, but we are taking steps and we will continue supporting hockey at every level.”

Former Olympian Tauqeer Dar, present at the ceremony, termed the initiative encouraging.

Wani described 2026 as a year of international exposure for Pakistan hockey, with six major assignments on the calendar: the Hockey World Cup, the Asian Games, the Johor Cup, the Junior Asia Cup, the Under-18 Five-a-Side Asia Cup, and the Under-18 Asia Cup, alongside a visit by China’s regional team to Pakistan in December.

The South Korean series in Islamabad is only the first leg of a renewed hockey exchange between the two countries. Pakistan is also scheduled to travel to South Korea in September for a return four-match series, giving the national side back-to-back international exposure within a matter of months.

As Pakistan hockey takes its first confident steps back onto the world stage, the hope among players, Olympians and fans alike is that Wani’s reforms, spanning finances, coaching, and the women’s game, are not a passing moment but the foundation of a lasting revival.