#கோவில்பட்டி #ஹாக்கிபோட்டி #Kovilpatti #Hockeycompetition
Hockey was introduced in Kovilpatti in the pre-Independence days, largely due to the efforts of a doctor, Durairaj, who was a player himself. It was because of his untiring efforts that the Kovilpatti Sports Club was formed in the year 1944 and State-level matches were conducted from 1946. Soon the game spread to all parts of the State and several talents started to emerge. In 1960, Durairaj purchased a piece of land and constructed a hockey stadium with contribution from Lakshmi Mills, where he worked as medical officer. Later, a trust named Kuppusamy Naidu Memorial Trust was formed and the State tournament was converted to national tournament under the banner Kuppusamy Naidu Memorial Tournament. A local team was formed in the year 1962 and was coached by legendary Dhyan Chand. Star players like Olympians Baskar and Peter have also played for the Kovilpatti team.
However, contemporary players feel that sport of 60 years has hit a low that it needs government intervention and private sponsors to conduct matches again.
Mathiah, who played several club matches in Mumbai and Bangalore, points out that the frequency of hockey tournaments has reduced drastically in the last five years. “Hockey players were assured of central government jobs earlier but now that the government has stopped recruiting sports persons, budding talents prefer to focus on other professions. Apart from this, private sponsors have declined and the rural clubs are in no position to generate resources to conduct tournaments,” he said. “The past glory of Kovilpatti could be restored only if Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) conducts hockey competitions here,” said Mathiah.