AFTER decades of planning and blueprints, an Indoor Malaysia Hockey League (IMHL) will be held at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris in Tanjung Malim (UPSI) before the end of the year.
An indoor blueprint was presented by Datuk R. Yogeswaran during the Malaysian Hockey Federation era, but no action was taken to realise the project as courts were either hard to come by or non-existent in states.
UPSI led the way as they not only have three international standard courts, but hosted the 13th UPSI International tournament in November last year.
And the response for the Under-12, Under-16, Universities and Veteran tournaments was good.
"We have the venue ready and will be calling for entries soon. We are expecting 10 men's and 10 women's teams but will welcome more with an open heart," said Shurizan Mansor, chairman of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation indoor committee.
"Because of the Covid-19 situation, I expect the tournament to be held after August when there is a window opening for us.
"UPSI is expert in organising indoor hockey and it has been holding seminars and courses for at least a decade. It was also a high level sports developing universiti before.
"Hosting an IMHL will surely get them back into the elite group again," said Shurizan.
Indoor hockey came to life in Malaysia after it was included for the first time at the 2017 KL Sea Games.
Malaysia then dominated the event in the 2019 Philippines Sea Games but it has gone back into the shadows since.
"We want to make indoor hockey a permanent fixture as it requires many different skills which can also be used when playing field hockey.
"In many countries, versatile players in both fields are making a name for themselves.
"Malaysia have shown their prowess in the Asean region, and it's time to make an impact at Asian and world level in the long run," said Shurizan.
Hockey sticks, shoes, playing venues, using a beam on the sides are some of the challenges states might face in promoting the sport.
But UPSI is willing to lead by example. In 2016, UPSI pitches were given Certified Field Performance by the International Hockey Federation.
"Everything is in place, and when the government allows hockey matches again, we will make a dash to organise the inaugural IMHL and promote the sport in a big way at state level," said Shurizan.