Hockey India Announces the Awards Ceremony for the First Ever ‘Hockey India Annual Awards’

‘Hockey India Annual Awards’ an initiative by Hockey India will take place on 28^th March 2015 at Hotel The Lalit, New Delhi and will mark the kick-start of the first ever annual awards for the sport. The annual awards initiated by Hockey India is an effort towards recognizing the hard work put in by the hockey players, coaches, support staff and administrators on the field both nationally as well as internationally.

The Annual awards will also witness Hockey India felicitating the teams and individuals who made India proud with their brilliant performances for the country in the year 2014. The awards to be handed to players will be worth Rs 2.6 Crore across categories, marking another first in the history Indian Hockey. These awards from Hockey India are intended not just to recognize the performances of the players but also to motivate them to do even better. The awards will also play a pivotal role in encouraging youngsters and for the overall betterment of the sport.

The ‘Hockey India Annual Awards’ will see the award of the Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award, to the player who with his / her play made the sport see glorious times during his / her tenure of play. Besides this the most outstanding player within both Men and Women will receive the Dhruv Batra Award for Player of the Year respectively. The Jaman Lal Sharma Award for Invaluable Contribution (for coaches and support staff) and the Hockey India President Award for Outstanding Achievement will also be given to exceptional awardees.

Six awards have been named after players who have represented India in the past including, the Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Men – Under 21), Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Women – Under 21), Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year, Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year, Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year and Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year.  

Speaking on the announcement, Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra, President, Hockey India said, "We announced the ‘Hockey India Annual Awards’ last year and this 28^th March will witness the first awards ceremony in New Delhi. In recent times, Hockey India has taken various steps towards up lifting the sport in the country and this is one such initiative to ensure that the players receive the recognition that they so rightly deserve. Also what gives each one of us immense pleasure is the support that hockey is receiving from our various stakeholders which motivates us to take the game to the next level."

Speaking on felicitating players for their performance in the year 2014, Dr. Batra added “All our Hockey Teams in the last year have excelled on the field and showcased great performances on the international platform. We have seen our players and teams grow in confidence and winning important tournaments which has made us all very proud. We take the ‘Hockey India Annual Awards’ as a platform to felicitate the teams for their play in the last one year."

List of Awards for the ‘Hockey India Annual Awards’ –

The awardees for the ‘Hockey India Annual Awards’ will receive a glittering trophy, certificate and cash award. 

List of Awards for felicitating the players for the performance during 2014