DUBAI United Emirates Hockey Club (UEHC) skipper Ahmed Al Sayegh is confident of putting up a strong show to defend title as his team embarks on a tour to Thailand from July 30 to August 13.
The touring team will play exhibition matches before they participate in the one-day tournament, organised by the Pakistan Sports Club Bangkok, which they won in 2013 defeating some top international clubs.
They will take on Physical Education Chonburi, Royal Thai Navy and Royal Thai Air Force teams in the exhibition matches.
Training
“We are looking forward to this tour. It will be an important tour for the boys. The goal will be to defend the title which we won two years ago,” said Al Sayegh.
The team has been busy with its preparations but the skipper is not fully satisfied since the sessions have been limited due to work commitment.
“We have been having our training sessions but it’s not sufficient. We are just meeting once or twice a week and training for around two hours. Few of our good players also pulled out in the last minute due to personal reasons. It becomes difficult to keep the focus when something like this happens after all the ground work has been done.
“Despite this we are confident of doing well. We have a balanced team with a perfect mix of seniors and youngsters,” he added.
Al Sayegh said the tour will also strengthen friendly relations between the UAE and Thailand and help promote hockey in both countries. “Every year we make it a point to visit different countries and play hockey. But this year we were keen to go back to Thailand since the tournament was being held.
He said he would be keen to see international clubs travelling to the UAE. “It will be a big boost to the growth of the game. But unfortunately there are no grounds and hardly any facilities to play. We travel to these tournaments carrying the image of UAE and we hope that such tours will further help the growth of the game in the country.”
