Castrol to sponsor Indian hockey team

Early last month Indian Hockey Federation president K P S Gill had lashed out at the country's corporate world for not coming forward to fund the Indian hockey team.

Gill's verbal assault appears to have had the desired effect. On Monday lubricant giant Castrol India Limited picked up the gauntlet and offered to sponsor the team for a period of three years, starting with the World Cup qualifiers at Edinburg, Scotland, from July 17 to 29.

Making the announcement at a press conference in Bombay on Monday evening, the IHF chief said the association with Castrol "will be the much-needed catalyst to transform the future of Indian hockey".

According to the agreement, Castrol will be the official sponsors of the team, which will sport the company's colours at all international matches. The total cost for the company for three years will be more than Rs 3 crore [30 million].

As a build-up to the World Cup qualifiers and to give adequate practice to the Indian team, Castrol will sponsor a 'Castrol international hockey festival' at Milton Keynes, England, from July 7 to 10, where the Indian team will play a series of warm-up matches against Japan, Scotland and France.

Team coach Cedric D'Souza, who was present at the press conference, while thanking Castrol and Lesiure Sports Management, the Calcutta-based sports management company which played a major role in clinching the sponsorship deal, for their help, said: "As far as I am concerned as coach, we want to let them know we will do our best to keep the country's flag flying high. God willing, we'll get the gold back soon."