Dilip Tirkey

New Delhi: Eleven senior players, including the five captains, will get Rs 1 lakh each as appearance fees in the Premier Hockey League (PHL) beginning in Hyderabad next month, the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) announced Wednesday.

According to IHF, the players of the five teams in tier I have been divided in four levels on the basis of their seniority with the top level players getting Rs 1 lakh each.

The level B, C and D players will get Rs 35,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 15,000, respectively.

This will be for the first time that the players will receive appearance fee for featuring in a domestic competition, IHF said. The five captains ? Dilip Tirkey, Gagan Ajit Singh, Viren Rasquinha, Ignace Tirkey and Arjun Halappa ? have been put in the top bracket along with six other ?senior-most? players, whose names were not revealed by the federation.

?All my boys play for the love of the game. I am very happy to announce league participation fees for players which will motivate them further,? IHF chief K. P. S. Gill said.

?It is very important that the game of hockey attracts good talent and if the players are provided the best of facilities, career assurance, avenues to play good hockey and are also paid well at the same time, there is no doubt that we will retain good talent and also attract youngsters to the game,? he said.

?In the long term, my vision is that hockey players attract endorsements, appear in ads and have avenues of earning from organisations besides the IHF too, just like cricketers,? Gill said. The team support staff including the coach, manager of teams of tier I will also receive Rs 25,000 for participating. (PTI)