David Harte selected for Pro Indian Hockey
November 28, 2013
The auction included 154 players from around the world of which 49 were picked up by the six franchises, players came from Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Argentina, Ireland, England, South Africa and India with a total spend of USD 1.37 million. The highest player going for 81,000 USD (Ramandeep Singh for Uttar Pradesh Wizards).
David Harte who is the first Irish man to be selected for this tournament was delighted at his selection commenting “I am absolutely delighted to have been selected by the Dabur Mumbai Magicians for the second season of the Hockey India League. After watching it last year it was something that I wanted to try and get into, so to be picked as Ireland's first representative feels fantastic and it is something I am very proud of!
An opportunity to play in a fanatical hockey country like India for the 5 or so weeks is something I am very excited about. Add to that touring around six different cities, the packed stadiums, screaming fans and world class players that will be present make for perhaps a once in a lifetime experience.
I would like to thank my hockey club SV Kampong and my school, the International School Utrecht for allowing me the chance to fulfil this unique experience and supporting me in my decision to go. Also I need to thank my national coach, Andrew, for his support and backing to play in the Hockey India League.â€
The Ireland Men’s Coach Andrew Meredith was quick to extend his support for his keeper “It’s a fantastic opportunity for David, which has been driven by the outstanding performances and consistency shown over the last few years. He has been continually recognised and rewarded as one of the world’s elite keepers winning various awards, and to participate in a professional league will be a great test for him. To play in India, and spend 6 weeks in a hockey culture inside a country where viewing figures are consistently over 40 million people for Hockey, will give him a great platform to compete with the world’s elite, which I have no question that he will embrace and excel in as Irelands sole representative for this edition. Mumbai is a great city with a very strong Hockey history and tradition, and it will be an absolute experience of a lifetime for him.â€
Meredith went onto comment about how this fits in with his commitments to Ireland “From the perspective of the National Senior Program, I am of course fully supportive of his participation given the intense competitive environment he will be in for 6 weeks,
And it gives me the opportunity to look at alternatives in the goalkeeping department, and in particular, look at rewarding David Fitzgerald for his valuable contribution to the team
over the last 12 months, and his outstanding performances when he has been given opportunities.â€
“We are very fortunate to be in the position where we have 2 World Class keepers, and while David Harte is playing in the HIL, it provides me with the opportunity to experiment and reward another keeper putting in the hard work and consistent performances.â€
For a full list of the bid prices please go to http://hockeyindia.org/images/stories/2013/11/n123-CLOSED-BID-FINAL.pdf
