Growing interest in field hockey keeping northeast kids active and tradition alive

More and more kids in northeast Calgary are choosing field hockey as their preferred sport.

It's a national sport in India with a huge following and is growing in popularity among young people in Calgary.

Barriers to field hockey are low. It's affordable, easy to learn and for some it continues a family tradition of involvement in the game, especially for kids with parents from India and South Asia.

"We have 60 kids here signed up for our free training, it's growing," said Mandeep Jhally, who has played the sport for about 27 years, with 15 of those years spent playing in India.

He now coaches kids in northeast Calgary with the United Field Hockey Club.

The club is holding free training sessions in December at the Genesis Centre to give kids a taste of the game. And it's proving popular, with around 60 signing up so far for the Wednesday and Sunday evening sessions.

"If you're playing ice hockey, it's really expensive; but field hockey, you don't have to spend that much money," said Jhally.

"It's mostly like hockey but no hitting and you only use one side of the stick. Everything else is the same, but you use shoes instead of skates," Jhally said.

Canada is competing in the 2018 World Cup right now in India, helping to fuel interest in the sport with Canada advancing through the competition and giving kids here something to aim for.

"I played state level back home and played for the national team here in Canada in 2003," said Kirpal Sidhu.

"We've been playing for generations. My Dad played, my grandfather played, it keeps going in the family. It's like an national game in India. With the free camps here, they try it, they love it," said Sidhu.

Sidhu says that as interest in the sport grows, so does competition and depth in the national team, making for a bright future for field hockey at the international level.

"I started in the summer and I've improved so much," said Mannat Dhillon.

"My Dad used to play at college but didn't get a chance to go to the international level, and his dream is to put me into the international team and make me really successful at hockey," she said.

"I think it's growing in Canada now," said Dhillon.

"Hockey's something I always look forward to no matter how bad my day is or how good it is. I always want to go to hockey," said Ishita Phul.

"My grandma played hockey as a goalie. I want to teach my kids how to play hockey in the future because it's been a big part of my life," she added.

"Hockey is a really easy sport, it's good exercise for your whole body and it's really fun to play," said Hark Plaha.

"You learn about sportsmanship, too," he said.

The free field hockey sessions run at the Genesis Centre every Wednesday from 6 till 7 p.m. and Sunday evenings from 7 till 8 p.m.

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