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A triopoly in hockey

Sports Reporter
In the last 22 years, hockey powerhouse Abahani, Mohammedan and Usha KC have literally turned the league title into their own property, sharing all the 14 titles (held in that time). There was no exception this time around either as one of the big three (Mohammedan) scooped up the prize, with a startling unbeaten record.
These three clubs have altogether struck a staggering 209 goals out of the 350 scored in the 55 first-leg matches in the recently-concluded premier league with Usha posting the league's biggest margin of victory (17-0) overWari Club.
Things were not similar in the past though as lightweights like Azad Sporting Club, Ajax Sporting Club and Sadharan Bima had often sprung surprises by beating the big boys. But the gulf has widened so much these days, that those upsets are only part of history today.
So what is the secret behind this ever-increasing gap between the big boys and the minnows or the mid-table sides? It is certainly not due to any drastic improvement in the quality of these three clubs, as
was found out by consulting with former and current players, club and federation officials. Rather they put it to the falling quality of the players of these lower clubs, their financial limitations, lack of practice facilities and an overall lack of enthusiasm in the sport in general.
“There are hardly 20 to 25 quality players in the country and all of them are scooped up by Usha, Mohammedan or Abahani and the others are left to form squad with mediocre players” opined former national striker Rafikul Islam Kamal.
Kamal, also manager of Usha KC, also feels that the dwindling interest in hockey among the new generation also leads to the decline in quality.
Azad SC's hockey secretary Mohammad Yousuf Ali, however, feels differently about the whole thing. According to Yousuf, the increased number of goals in matches is a direct result of the annulment of off-side rule in 1993. However he also feels that irregular staging of tournaments at the national and district level is also a cause of the downfall.
According to BHF records, since the start of the First Division Hockey, which
later turned into Premier Division in 1998, a total of 28 leagues were held in 38 years and the hockey's governing body could hold only nine premier division leagues in last 14 years.
Once a lot of players used to come to the capital to play the Dhaka league but now eighty percent of the total premier league players are product of Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan where country's second astro-turfis installed.
“We don't have many quality defenders, so the minnows can’t defend their territory well against the big teams,” Ajax SC secretary Kazi Moinuzzaman Pila said.
Jafrul Ahsan, an official of first division club Barnak Samaj, informed that the budding hockey players in Mirpur had earlier waited their turn when the first batch of players had practice but the scenario is now totally different.
"After having practiced in Mirpur three to four days a week, we used to take the boys to the hockey stadium to have practice at the turf but the parents of those players now don't allow them because it consumes a huge amount of time for the traffic jam in Dhaka," said Ahsan.