The Pakistan Hockey Federation (Urdu: پاکستان ہاکی فیڈریشن) is the governing body for the sport of field hockey in Pakistan. It is affiliated with the International Hockey Federation (FIH), Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) & Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).[1]
Syeda Shehla Raza is the PHF president while Syed Haider Hussain is the secretary General. The PHF Executive Board members are Olympian Nasir Ali, Olympian Hanif Khan, Maj Gen (R) Tariq Haleem Suri, HI (M), Nawabzada Mir Haji Lashkari Khan Raisani, Syed Amin, Akbar Ali Qaimkhani, Lt Col (R) Asif Naz Khokhar while office management includes Director Administration & Coordination Khalid Bashir, Syed Ali Abbas - Executive Secretary PHF, Muhammad Nadeem- Assistant Office Secretary PHF, Saleem Gill - Accounts Manager PHF[2]
The game of field hockey was originally brought to areas now Pakistan during the British Raj, and like cricket, it became a popular sport among the local population. The Pakistan Hockey Federation came into being in 1948,[1] following the independence of Pakistan in 1947. Prior to this, players from what is now Pakistan had competed internationally alongside players from what is now India. In the beginning, the federation's membership included the provincial hockey federations of West Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Bahawalpur, East Bengal, and the Pakistani Armed Forces Sports Board.
Pakistan played their first international game in London when they defeated Belgium 2-1 at the 14th Olympic Games on 2 August 1948.[1] The first president of PHF was Ghazanfar Ali Khan, with Baseer Ali Sheikh as the Honorary Secretary.[2] The Pakistan national side soon established a strong reputation in international competition, helping to maintain interest in the game in Pakistan which assisted the growth of the federation. However, no full-time central office or secretariat, as such, was established until the 1960s. The office of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, located at the National Hockey Stadium was developed into a secretariat in 1971. It was during the second term as president of Air Marshal (Retd) Nur Khan from 1978 that Pakistani hockey entered a golden age. National senior, national Junior and women hockey teams were all competing internationally. On the personal initiative of Air Marshal (Retd) Nur Khan, the FIH introduced the World Cup and the Champions Trophy, which rated among field hockey's major international tournaments alongside the Olympics.[1]
However, the 1976 Olympics in Montreal had seen the introduction of artificial turf to international hockey competitions. Pakistan was unable to build many artificial turf pitches compared to the European sides, and thus the strength of the national side began declining slowly.[1][3]
In February 2016, the Pakistan Hockey Federation initiated preparations for a domestic hockey league, to be played from October to November 2016, according to then Secretary Shahbaz Ahmed Senior. The former Olympian believed the development and growth of young Pakistani hockey players would rely on the success of the league, and this would help Pakistan regain its historic aura as a hockey-playing nation.[citation needed]
An autonomous board for the league was established in 2016. PHF President Khalid Sajjad Khokhar mentioned that the league would be sanctioned by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), adding that the PHF was in touch with the world hockey governing body to avoid any clashes with international events. The league was postponed after the government of Punjab refused to give an NOC to host the event in 2016.[citation needed]
In December 2017, it was announced that the Pakistan Hockey Super League - The Max was given an NOC. The inaugural season was slated to begin in April 2018, but was postponed to July 2018 due to the national team's participation in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and the forthcoming month of Ramadan.[citation needed]
On 11 January 2022, the Pakistan Hockey Federation formally inaugurated the Pakistan Hockey Super League "THE MAX".[4][5]
The following is a list of the Presidents of PHF:[6]
The following is a list of the Secretaries General of PHF:[7]