Hockey needs strong administration to bring back golden days: Navjot Singh Sidhu

Ranchi: Former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu today said that a strong system was required to bring back the golden days of Indian hockey.

"Hockey needs good administration and a strong system. So long a system is not built, hockey would never be able to stand up," Sidhu, who was here to launch a coffee table book on hockey, said.

Stressing the need of proper marketing of the game like that present in cricket, the former India opener said, "cricket's marketing is very strong.

To bring hockey at its par India should win at international levels. And it will happen only when hockey gets good company (administrators)," Sidhu pointed out.

Throwing his weight behind the Ranchi Rhinos, which is ready to defend the second edition of the Hockey India League (HIL), the BJP MP from Amritsar, however, was in full praise of Corporate companies for helping the sport in its revival.

According to him, hockey was in "good hands" with the Corporate Companies slowly taking interest into it.

"Hockey is in good hands now... Corporate Companies, which are managing about 5000 people, have come forward to manage hockey and facilitating the game," he said.