My Golden Days in Field Hockey

First blog entry arrives all the way from Pakistan by Ms. Javaid who is the first female Field Hockey coach in Pakistan. Here is her story below:

I started playing hockey when it was introduced first introduced in 1976. My love for hockey was due to my mother, as she was also an ex-National Field Hockey player in India before the partition. She was also one of the pioneers of women’ s hockey in Pakistan. I played for the provincial team in various National Women’s Hockey Championships and under my captaincy my provincial team won their first Gold Medal in 1981. In 1981 I was selected in the Pakistan team for the Asia Cup. I have the honor of being the first female field hockey coach in Pakistan (1983).

To promote hockey at the grassroots level along with the field hockey association I have organized many training camps and tournaments at the provincial and national level. In 2009, I was selected as a member of the Development and Coaching Committee of Pakistan Hockey Federation. As a judge I represented Pakistan in 2003 in the 2nd Asia Cup in Singapore and 1st Asian Games Hockey Qualifier in 2006 in Malaysia which was organized by the Asian Hockey Federation.

I became a member of the U.S Field Hockey Association in 2012 and supported field hockey clubs in the U.S by donating hockey kits for clubs. In Pakistan I volunteer to promote sports and field hockey in various schools in Karachi for underprivileged youth. I have organized summer camps and sports festivals in these schools and conducted fitness level programs to create awareness about the importance of sports. Presently, I am the Vice- President of the Karachi Divisional Women’s Hockey Association and will continue my mission to promote sports especially since field hockey is my passion and want to contribute to creating opportunities  for the children.

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