What’s the story?
Hockey India League (HIL), which started in 2013 has been a financial boon to the players participating in the tournament. And Australian forward Tom Craig is amongst one of the players to have benefitted from the cash-filled league.
A student at Sydney University, Craig intends to use his earnings from HIL to pay for his university fees. According to Indian Express, Tom said in an interview, “That amount of money makes a massive difference to any hockey player, you’d think. Certainly, for me, I appreciate the opportunity that the HIL brings as far as professionalising the game, and this money will most likely go straight towards my university fees.”
Craig was bought by the Kalinga Lancers for US $67,000 for the upcoming edition of HIL which is set to begin on 21st January.
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Tom Craig was also part of the Australian national squad that visited India for the Junior Men’s World Cup. However, the Aussies lost in the semi-final against India in a penalty shootout after drawing the match 2-2 in normal time.
The 21-year-old forward will now play under veteran German hockey star Moritz Fuerste for the Orissa side. Joining Craig in the Kalinga Lancers squad will be fellow Australians Glenn Turner, Matthew Dawson, Andrew Charter and Aran Zalewski.
The heart of the matter
HIL, one of the most lucrative tournaments on the world hockey calendar, has proved to be the perfect platform for growing players to gain the right kind of exposure.
Thus it would be a learning curve for Tom who will be exposed to the world’s best players in the tournament.
"This season hopefully exposes me a bit more to the world's best players, which will be such a valuable learning opportunity. So a good few months in India playing good hockey will leave me sharper than what I would be without it," said the Australian striker in an interview.
What’s next
The Kalinga Lancers will begin their Coal India HIL campaign against Delhi Waveriders on 22 January at their home ground in Bhubaneswar.It would be a delight to watch the promising Australian who is popular for his amazing display of skills and counter attack.
Sportskeeda’s take
Leagues like HIL helps in professionalising the game. The league has thus made a significant contribution to world hockey and given international players the motivation to consider hockey as a viable career option.
