MUMBAI: The organisers of World Series Hockey (WSH) and IHF have announced new date. This will now start on 29 February 2012. The final of the event will be held on 1 April a few days before the start of the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The decision happened after Hockey India announced a camp for the players ahead of the Olympic Qualifiers event. That camp was clashing with the original dates for WSH which was supposed to have kicked off on 17 December 2011.

The case went to the court. The Delhi High court had issued a stay on the PIL filed by a coach Joachim Caravalho who is involved with WSH. Carvalho?s lawyer had said that Hockey India?s camp, which is to be held to prepare the players for the Olympics for 71 days, was organised with the sole purpose of preventing them from participating in WSH. He had said that it was illegal on the part of Hockey India to threaten disqualification of those players participating in the tournament. Recently Hockey India had produced letters signed by players saying that they wanted to take part in the camp ahead of the Olympic qualifiers.

As far as the new dates for WSH are concerned IHF president RK Shetty said, "We are extremely saddened by the intimidation tactics employed by Hockey India to try and deprive Indian hockey players of an opportunity to earn a living from the sport of hockey. As everyone is well aware, the original schedule for WSH was made on the basis that the National prep camp for the Olympic qualifiers was to start on the 24th of January. This date was communicated by HI officials in writing to players as far back as March this year. Unfortunately, HI chose to reschedule the camp to the 11th of December with the obvious intention of disturbing the players and their preparations for WSH. This re scheduling was done after the announcement of WSH dates.

"The intimidation tactics being used by HI are shameful and it?s a pity that our players had to be put through this. With the express intent of protecting our national players from further harassment from HI, the IHF has requested WSH to take the high ground and adjust the dates for WSH. We are pleased to confirm that WSH has accepted the request and the Event will now commence in February after the completion of India?s Olympic qualifiers on 26 February."

Nimbus Sport COO Yannick Colaco said, "The primary objective of WSH is the reinvigoration of the sport of Hockey in India. The players are a very important stakeholder of Indian Hockey and post the request from IHF (on behalf of the players) we have had detailed consultation with our sponsors, franchises, team officials, match officials and other administers of the sport of hockey. We are pleased to confirm the unanimous support of all our stakeholders to the adjustment of WSH dates and we look forward to the launch of this historic event on the 29th of February 2012."

Delhi Wizards owner Sabbas Joseph said, "I strongly believe that WSH would change the face of hockey as we know it, and they have proved it once again through this decision to reschedule the tournament. This will ensure the players are not faced with an ?either or? scenario and as a franchise owner, I share the vision of WSH and IHF and would like to extend complete support towards making WSH a world class event."

Karnataka Lions owner Sagar Pol Chowdhury said, "Our stance has always been that the youth of India will definitely see a new connect with hockey through WSH and this decision is a shining example of that. A league that treats its players with care is bound to succeed. I fully back this difficult decision made by WSH and look forward to providing the right training platform for the Karnataka Lions to perform to potential in February".

MUMBAI: In what could be a setback to Nimbus? World Series Hockey (WSH) initiative, six top Indian players have withdrawn from the league which starts on 17 December.

A letter issued by Hockey India bears the signature of all the six players. They are goalkeepers Bharat Chetri and PR Sreejesh, drag flicker Sandeep Singh, defender Sardar Singh, and forwards Tushar Khandker and Yuvraj Walmiki.

WSH takes place at the same time as the national camp for the Olympic qualifiers.

The letter reads, "We are not playing in the World Series Hockey event and we will be attending the national camp in Delhi for the Olympic qualifiers on 11 December, 2011 until February 2012. We will be available for selection in the national team for the Olympic qualifiers.

"We signed the contract with World Series Hockey under the impression that WSH will not force us to play and ask us to leave for the national camp. We play for our country and that is a matter of honour and pride for us."

The players have requested the WSH organisers to postpone the event.

"We appeal to World Series Hockey to postpone their tournament after the qualifiers in the national interest".

However, Nimbus Sport COO Yannick Colaco has said that the players have not sent any communication to the agency regarding this decision. "We find it extremely odd that players would have chosen to ?write? to a third party to withdraw from World Series Hockey, especially since this third party has nothing to do with this historic event. We thus are unable to judge whether this supposed letter is a fabrication or an extortion.

"What we do know for a fact is that not a single WSH player has communicated in person or email to us regarding their non availability for the inaugural edition of World Series Hockey. In fact, we have had repeated confirmation from all our players that they are extremely excited to be a part of this event which will finally give the sport of hockey its proper due. In addition, WSH players have been in constant touch with their franchise coaches even during the draft process (28 November)."

"We look forward to working closely with the all the stakeholders of Indian hockey, including the players, franchisees, coaches and fans, to staging a hugely successful inaugural edition of World Series Hockey," Colaco said.

Cheetahs and Pune Strykers in World Series Hockey. The team will be spearheaded by ace striker Lucas Vila as captain and one of the world?s best coaches - Roelant Oltmans.

Communication and entertainment company Wizcraft International has acquired the Delhi franchise of World Series Hockey. Wizcraft has been instrumental in shaping the event management and brand activation industry in India.

Wizcraft International director Sabbas Joseph said, "We have always been associated with marquee sports events like the ICC World Cup 2011, Indian Premier League and the Commonwealth Games. We see tremendous opportunity in sports in terms of a business and more importantly in building a loyal fan base. This is an important step that will further expand the canvas for Wizcraft and help build a strong following for our national game. The only way for the national sport is up. Nimbus has brought a lot of passion, dedication to the event. The touch and feel of this event has been professional which is what it should be."

Nimbus Sport COO Yannick Colaco added, "We are delighted to welcome one of India?s biggest entertainment companies - Wizcraft International to the WSH family. We see tremendous opportunity in marrying sports and entertainment and with the extensive global experience that Wizcraft possess; they make a fantastic partner for WSH."

He acknowledges that it took longer than anticipated to sign up the franchises. "We have been in talks with them for a long time. There were details that had to be worked upon. 15 years is a long term commitment and we wanted to make sure that all the bases were covered."

More franchise owners will be announced in the coming days. Apart from Delhi Wizards, Karnataka Lions, Chennai Cheetahs and Pune Strykers the other city based franchises are located in Bhopal, Chandigarh, Punjab and Mumbai. Hyderabad will be added next year added Colaco.

He has also clarified that Pakistani players will take part in WSH. They have got the necessary clearances from their government. Meanwhile the players draft for WSH took place today. Bhopal which is being captained by Sardar Singh has in its lineup the likes of Waseem Ahmed, Baljeet Singh, Casey Henwood and Baljinder Singh. Chandigarh will be captained by Rehan Butt and has got the likes of PR Sreejesh, Bharat Chikara and Ajitesh Roy. Chennai is being captained by Brent Livermore. It has in its team the likes of Bharat chetri, Amit prabhakar, Peter Kelly and Dhananjay Mahadik.

Delhi is being captained by Lucas Vila and has drafted the likes of Manoj Antil, Vickram Kanth, Manjeet Kulu and Shakeel Anbbasi. Karnataka is being captained by Arjun Halappa and has a high profile draft in Dhanraj Pillai. Mumbai is being captained by Adrian DeSouza. It has drafted Viren rasquinha, SV Sunil, Yuvraj Walmiki among others. Pune which is being captained by rodrigo Garcia has drafted among others Vikas Pillay, Diwakar Ram and Gurpreet Singh Guri. Punjab is being cptained by Prabhjot Singh and has drafted the likes of VS Vinaye, Dinesh Ekka, Mark Gunther and Steven Faiij.

The WSH will be held from 17 December, 2011 to 22 January, 2012 and will involve 200 players -- Indian and international -- who will showcase their talent in 61 matches. It will be a multi-city franchise-based League with players being allocated to the teams based on the internationally accepted and practiced ?draft? system.

Also Read:

WSH gets Chennai Cheetahs as first franchisee

Suniel Shetty to spearhead WSH franchise Karnataka Lions

MUMBAI: Close on the heels of announcing the Chennai franchisee, Nimbus? hockey league initiative World Series Hockey (WSH) has announced the Bangalore franchise, which has been acquired by Sporting Ace.

Sporting Ace is a part of the Zentrum Group and has Bollywood action hero Suniel Shetty as the Chief Mentor.

Zentrum Group is a global player in the field of energy, chemicals, education, sports, information technology, consulting, media and outsourcing and works with corporate houses, governments, and institutions. The franchise has been called Karnataka Lions

Shetty said, "I am proud to spearhead the Karnataka Lions in World Series Hockey. I have been the brand ambassador for Indian Hockey and felt it was about time I took a more active role in creating a global platform for our hockey players to excel."

Sporting Ace MD Sagar Pol Chowdhury said, "The Bangalore franchise will be much more than just a profitable venture for us. We are committed to invest in sports and the newly formed entity Sporting Ace will look at promoting multiple sports and help build necessary infrastructure. WSH is the first and most important step in that direction. I am delighted to have Suniel Shetty as the Chief Mentor and his passion for sports is a perfect fit with the vision of our organisation"

Nimbus Sport COO Yannick Colaco said, "We are indeed proud to welcome Suniel Shetty and Sporting Ace to the WSH family. It is heartening to see the passion for Hockey they bring to the table and I am confident this will translate into an extremely large and loyal fan base for the Karnataka Lions".

The WSH will be held from 17 December, 2011 to 22 January, 2012 and will involve 200 players -- Indian and international -- who will showcase their talent in 61 matches. It will be a multi-city franchise-based League with players being allocated to the teams based on the internationally accepted and practiced ?draft? system.

The inaugural edition of the league will comprise eight teams out of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Pune, Bhopal, Punjab, Ranchi and Rourkela.

Also Read:

WSH gets Chennai Cheetahs as first franchisee

World Series Hockey to have total prize money of Rs 100 mn

MUMBAI: Nimbus? hockey league initiative World Series Hockey has announced the highest ever prize money for any hockey event in the world. The company adds that the champion team in WSH stands to win almost 30 times more prize money, as compared to the Euro Hockey League, the leading domestic Hockey league in Europe

The total prize money, in excess of Rs 100 million is structured in a manner to incentivise teams and players.

As per the plan, champions will get Rs 40 million while runners up will be given Rs 20 million. The team on third and fourth place will get Rs 10 million each.

All WSH franchises have committed to sharing a minimum of 50 per cent of their team winnings with the players, creating a player winning purse of at least Rs 40 million and significantly enhancing the potential of earnings for all the players of the teams who finish in the top four spots of the inaugural season of WSH.

In addition to the prize money listed above, there are several individual awards recognising match winners and stars including:

WSH Rockstar (Most Valuable Player): Rs 10 million
Indian Super Star (Star Indian Player): Rs 5 million
Golden Stick (Highest Goal Scorer): Rs 2.5 million
Game Changer (Best Midfielder, Defender or Goal Keeper): Rs 2.5 million
Rookie of the Year (Best emerging player under 21): Rs 1 million

If an Indian player is adjudged ?WSH Rockstar?, the award for the "Indian Superstar" will go the next best Indian player. This ensures a player prize purse of a minimum Rs 60 million made available to the players of WSH, over and above their contract fees.

Nimbus Sport COO Yannick Colaco said, "This is a definite game changer for hockey players in India and across the world. WSH has ensured that the time for hockey players to take centre stage is finally here! By offering the highest prize money and creating an environment where players compete with the best in the world, youngsters can finally look at playing Hockey as a viable profession."

The WSH will be held from 17 December, 2011 to 22 January, 2012 and will involve 200 players -- Indian and international -- who will showcase their talent in 61 matches.

It will be a multi-city franchise-based League with players being allocated to the teams based on the internationally accepted and practised ?draft? system.

The inaugural edition of the league will comprise eight teams out of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Pune, Bhopal, Punjab, Ranchi and Rourkela.

MUMBAI: A few months after announcing its World Series Hockey (WSH) initiative, Nimbus has concluded the franchise allocation process and announced Chennai Sports Organisers (CSO) as the franchisee owner for Chennai.

A multi-city franchise-based league, WSH will make all the franchisee announcements over the next few days. The inaugural edition of the league will comprise seven more teams out of Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Pune, Bhopal, Punjab, Ranchi and Rourkela.

The Chennai Sports Organisers director LT Nanwani is also the director and promoter of Jubilee Granites, a mining company in South India that exclusively owns products like ?Black? and ?Black Galaxy? granite. The company?s initial investment in WSH is worth Rs 200 million over 15 years.

Nanwani said, "It is a matter of great pride to own a franchise in the prestigious World Series Hockey. Chennai has always had a strong sports culture and we are committed to strengthen the talent pool of hockey players. Extensive research has revealed that speed is a key attribute of the sport and hence our team is going to be aptly called Chennai Cheetahs."

"India has a strong hockey legacy and we will strive towards bringing the glory back. This is the first step for CSO and in the near future, we will expand our sports business by investing in multiple sports to create greater local connect with the fans. The main concern is to revive hockey our national sport. We have been speaking to Nimbus for a year about this."

He adds that CSO is talking to companies for sponsorship.

Nimbus Sport COO Yannick Colaco added, "WSH has been very selective in identifying franchise owners who are passionate about hockey and share the common vision of creating a strong and viable ecosystem for the sport in India. We are delighted to welcome Nanwani to the WSH family. His deep rooted understanding of the local Chennai market coupled with his keen interest in hockey will definitely create a strong fan base in the catchment area."

The WSH will be held from 17 December to 22 January, 2012 and will involve 200 Indian and international players, showcasing their talent in 61 matches.