The Pakistan Hockey Federation, as part of the team’s preparation for the next year’s Olympics in London, has penned down a comprehensive training programme for the team.
In June and July the team will play two back to back four-nation tournaments against Ireland and Holland and then will undergo training and play practice matches in Holland.
The team will start its programme with a UCD 4-Nation Hockey Tournament to be played in University College Dublin, Ireland, from June 20 to 25. The Pakistan hockey team will depart for Ireland on June 16. From Ireland they will move to Amstelveen to figure in the Four-Nation Rabo Hockey Tournament to be played in from June 28 to July 2. According to FIH World Rankings, Germany is number 2, Netherlands number 3, England number 4 and Pakistan number 8.
The tournaments are followed by the training camp at Amsterdam from July 3 to 17. During their camp training the team will play matches against teams from New Zealand, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Pakistan team’s Dutch coach Michel van den Heuvel not only refused to supervise the elite hockey training camp at Abbottabad where Al-Qaeda’s Osama Bin Laden was killed but asked the PHF to shift the camp to Amsterdam. Now he will join the team on its European tour and make preparation for the next year’s mega event. The team will leave for home on July 17.
Dublin schedule
June 20: Pakistan vs France; China vs Ireland
June 22: China vs Pakistan; France vs Ireland
June 24: France vs China; Pakistan vs Ireland
June 25: 3rd & 4th position match and Final
Rabo Tournament in Amstelveen
June 28: Germany vs England; Pakistan vs Netherlands
June 29: England vs Pakistan; Netherlands vs Germany
July 1: Germany vs Pakistan; England vs Netherlands
July 02: 3rd in Pool vs 4th in Pool; 1st in Pool vs 2nd in Pool 1730 hours.
Camp and training matches
July 8: Pakistan vs. New Zealand
July 10 & 11: Pakistan vs. Belgium (two matches)
July 15 & 16: Pakistan vs. Netherlands (two matches)
July 17: Home bound journey.