Boost for local hockey as ActiveSG launches academy

Jul 17, 2017 06:00 am

Past and present Team Singapore hockey players gathered at the Sengkang Hockey Stadium to launch the ActiveSG Hockey Academy - the latest in its stable of academies and clubs - on Saturday.

Those present included Olympians such as Ajit Singh Gill, who played at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, and Anwarul Haque and Douglas Paul Nonis, who both played at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

The guest of honour for the event was Deputy Prime Minister & Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies, Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

DPM Tharman, who was a combined schools hockey player, said: "I hope that through the ActiveSG Hockey Academy, more Singaporeans and especially our youth will come to love the game.

"Sports are one of the best ways we develop respect for others and develop ourselves for life, and it certainly was that way for me."

Lim Teck Yin, CEO of Sport Singapore said, "We are delighted to have with us our hockey Olympians, who competed with the world's best hockey players during the 1956 and 1964 Olympics.

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"Hockey has a rich history in our country and through this academy, we hope to keep this tradition going and interest more youths to try out this fun and exciting sport."

The ActiveSG Hockey Academy, which will be led by a team of experienced players, will be working together with the Singapore Hockey Federation (SHF) and local private academies.

It hopes that its values-based programmes can inculcate in participants important life values such as discipline, resilience and teamwork.

SHF president Mathavan Devadas said: "We are excited to partner ActiveSG to grow the sport of hockey and to create a more robust calendar of events for the sport.

"I am optimistic that this academy will increase the talent pool of hockey players in Singapore, leading to a brighter future for our national team in the years to come."

Schools interested in one-day clinics or tailored programmes can send their queries to activesg_hockey@sport.gov.sg