The New Indian Express ·
On football’s turf, hockey finds home in Malappuram
MALAPPURAM: In a land where the sound of a football striking the ground is part of everyday life, a small school in Malappuram began a quiet sporting revolution with the rhythm of a hockey stick and ball.
In a district synonymous with an almost unmatched passion for football, building a hockey team was never going to be easy. But Chemmankadavu PMSAMA HSS in Kodur took up that challenge. Training on a small school ground and competing against the odds, its hockey team has gone on to make its mark at the national level, scripting a rare sporting success story.
Hockey was first introduced at the school in 1996 by the then physical education teacher C N Kunjumuhammed and teacher U Alikkutty. The idea was born out of both necessity and opportunity. None of the neighbouring schools had hockey teams, while the size of the school ground was insufficient for football.
The experiment, however, struggled to survive in Malappuram’s overwhelming football culture. Hockey training came to a halt after two years. The sport returned to the school in 2001 with the appointment of Muhammad Sharafuddin Rizvi as coach. From then on, there was no looking back.
The results soon began to speak for themselves. When the Malappuram district team emerged champions in the state competitions in 2003 and 2004, 12 members of the 18-member squad were from the Chemmankadavu school.
Over the years, six to eight players from the school regularly formed the backbone of the district team. Since 2006, an average of eight to 10 players from the school have represented Kerala in different age categories and competed in national tournaments. Former players have gone on to join the Army and the Kerala Police, while several others have become physical education teachers.
For Rizvi, however, the journey began with a simple challenge: convincing children in football-crazy Malappuram to pick up a hockey stick.
“Children initially come to the camp to play football. We then introduce them to the uniqueness and potential of hockey and gradually bring them into the sport. I am a hockey coach myself, and the determination shown by the school management in appointing me helped create a hockey culture in the school,” said Rizvi, a Hockey India Level 2 coach and state selector.
The early years were not easy. Only a handful of boys initially showed interest in joining the hockey team. But victories gradually changed the perception of the game.
“As the team began winning competitions, more students and their parents started showing interest. Many of our players have also excelled academically,” Rizvi said.
One particular achievement remains especially close to the coach’s heart. A former girl student, who represented the state at the national level, secured a top rank in the medical entrance examination and is now studying at the Kottayam Medical College.
“That achievement inspired many more girls to take up hockey,” he said.
Today, however, the team’s biggest challenge lies beyond the school ground. Rizvi believes that proper turf facilities are essential if young players are to compete at the highest level. The shortage of quality hockey fields in Keralam remains a major hurdle.