Hockey needs support from state governments too: Batra

Asserting that future of Indian hockey was bright, FIH president Narinder Batra today said that state governments too should do their bit to ensure that the sport further flourish in this country.

"Hockey or any sport, besides cricket, cannot survive without government support. Sports being a state subject, states also need to get active. We have couple of states during my period--like governments of Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, they are the ones who support hockey," he said.

"Others do have teams, but I don't see any support coming from these state governments, whether it is infrastructure or whether it is development or whether it is coaching. States also need to get a bit involved. When we call hockey a de facto national game, I think states also have a little bit of committment and if they get involved, the pace at which we want hockey to grow will be a bit different," Batra told

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