THE Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) is set to be played over 13 weeks from September, and national players will not be allowed to play for their clubs.
This was the consensus reached at a seminar organised by the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF), which was attended by interested parties in the MHL.
“Four clubs attended the seminar while two clubs sent in their proposals with apologies for not being able to attend. And in the end, it was agreed by all those present that the MHL show must go on, even without national players who have other obligations during the period,” said MHF assistant secretary Hashim Yusoff.
The consensus attained during the seminar will now be put forward to the MHF Council, who is expected to endorse it without much ado because stakeholders in the MHL had made up their mind.
The MHL is slated to be held from Sept 13 to Dec 31, and national players will be involved in the Asian Champions Trophy on Sept 3-11 in China and the Champions Challenge I in Johannesburg from Nov 26-Dec 4. Their most important assignment is the Olympic Qualifiers early next year.
MHL clubs Sapura, Maybank, Bukit Jalil and Armed Forces attended yesterday’s brainstorming session, while Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) and Nur Insafi had written in their thoughts on the matter.
However, last season’s double champions KLHC, who wrote in their stand, are of the opinion that the MHL should be held after the Olympic Qualifiers next year so that national players can represent their clubs.
In their proposal, KLHC said that if the MHL is held before the Qualifier and national players are banned, they might withdraw their team.