Kathmandu: Nepal Hockey Association is set to organise National Men’s and Women’s Hockey Championship as part of its annual program.

Organising a press conference in Kathmandu on Sunday, Association general secretary Subarna Shrestha informed that the men’s championship will run from April 30 to May 9 and the women’s event will be held from May 1 to May 9 at the Chyasal Football Ground in Lalitpur.

Eight teams will compete in the men’s tournament including Madhesh Province, Karnali Province, Tribhuvan  Army Club, Gandaki Province, Koshi Province, Bagmati Province, Nepal Police Club and Nepal APF Club, the debutant team in the tournament. The teams will be divided into two groups of four teams each and the matches will be played on a league cum knockout format.

The event will also serve as qualifiers for national men’s and women’s selection for an upcoming international tournament.

The women’s tournament will see participation of four teams  including Tribhuvan Army Club, Gandaki Province, Madhesh Province and Bagmati Province in round robin format. The top two teams will vie in the final. “Only four teams participate in women’s events due to upcoming board exams of higher secondary level,” informed Shrestha.

The top three teams in both categories will receive cash prizes of Rs75,000, Rs50,000 and Rs25,000 respectively. The best player in each competition will be awarded Rs5,000. The player-of-the-match of each game will get Rs2,000.

The expected cost of the men’s event is Rs3.5 million and the women’s event is Rs2.5 million.

Infrastructure development underway

In a significant announcement, the association revealed that it has acquired land in Dhulikhel for the construction of dedicated hockey infrastructure. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) has already been completed and if the project proceeds as planned, the new facilities could be operational within two years.

The new infrastructure will provide athletes with turf-based training grounds and enable the organisations of higher-level competitions in the future.

“We are planning to finish the construction works within two years. We are hopeful that the facilities will provide players opportunities to train at international standard infrastructures,” said Shrestha.