KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysia Hockey Confederation (MHC) has made a big-time decision to not sell tickets for the upcoming Junior Hockey World Cup (JWC), raising questions about the confederation’s return on investment after investing millions of ringgit to bring the prestigious tournament to Malaysia.
The national body is not the richest in the country, and despite facing budget constraints over the years, ultimately decided to not put tickets on sale, with the aim of making the tournament accessible to a wider range of hockey fans across the nation.
Speaking to Scoop, MHC vice-president and tournament chairman Datuk Seri Anil Jeet Singh said he strongly believes that the crowd will be present at the National Hockey Stadium to show their support for the junior Speedy Tigers.
“The decision was made by the higher authority management, and we believe that we have taken the right step in this matter. To be very honest, we want to attract as many crowds as possible as we are hosting this prestigious World Cup for the first time.
“Nobody needs to worry about our return on investment. We are looking into it, and that’s the reason we are conducting several educational booths, roadshows and hockey carnivals to connect the fans to the game. By doing this, we hope that many people will come to watch the games.
“We are aiming for a 90% attendance in the World Cup, and I believe that patriotic fans will come to the stadium to watch our players perform on such a prestigious stage,” said Anil.
Previously, MHC president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said that the association had worked diligently to secure funding from the private sector over the years to facilitate tournaments related to the national hockey teams.
Subahan also stated that MHC was in the midst of discussing a ticket price for the JWC after the association spent a total of RM1.5 million to purchase the hosting rights from FIH for the 13th edition of the tournament.
To offset their expenditure for the World Cup, local convenience store chain, 99 Speedmart, became the official partner for the tournament by sealing a partnership valued at RM1.2 million.
Some of MHC’s budget constraints over the years have prevented the confederation from sending their players to the annual FIH Pro League, for which they require an approximate budget of RM1.2 million to RM1.4 million to participate.
Their budget constraints have also hindered the association from supporting some of the necessities of its coaches, youth athletes, specialist coaches, and their sports science team which forced them to request more funds from the government to elevate their operational requirements.
The 13th edition of the Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup will be hosted in Kuala Lumpur from December 5 to December 16.
Malaysia is placed in Pool A, alongside defending champions Argentina, Australia, and Chile.
The opening match of the tournament will be between France and Egypt in Pool B on December 5, while the Junior Speedy Tigers will begin their campaign against Chile on the same day.
Malaysia’s best performance in the tournament came in the 2013 edition in New Delhi, India, where they finished fourth out of 16 teams. – November 28, 2023