He also felt that Odia players did not get the required level of national exposure. “Since we do not conduct any national games, our players mostly get to play against Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. But, they should play more with teams such as Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh,” he said.

A.K. Choudhury, who is in charge of Panposh Stadium, felt that though the representation of Odia players was increasing at the national level in the sub-junior and junior categories, it was falling at the senior category.

“The number of Odia players in the national team is slowly reducing at the senior level. Earlier, there used to be at least five to six players in the men’s team. But now, there are only two Odia players in the 18-member national squad. Similarly, only three players represent Odisha now in the women’s national senior team, whereas earlier at least five used to play,” said Choudhury.

Former national player and Olympian Lazarus Barla feels the existing sports hostels need a makeover. “The coaches at most hostels remain busy with administrative duties and overlook coaching. This obviously hampers the players’ training,” he said.

The almost three-year delay in the establishment of a proposed astro turf at Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneswar is also a cause of worry for the players. “In Sundergarh, hockey is the only game people indulge in for entertainment or recreation. But when we come to Bhubaneswar, forget about following the game passionately, not many even understand it. Had Kalinga Stadium been ready, things would have been different,” said Barla.

Authorities, however, say that hockey will soon get a boost and the state’s players will get the best opportunities. “The astro turf at Kalinga Stadium will be ready in another six months. We are also all set to improve coaching and other facilities at all our hockey hostels in Sundergarh, Panposh and Cuttack. International and national-level matches will also be held regularly from next year,” said secretary in charge of the state sports department Manoj Ahuja.

Often, players have also rebelled against Hockey Odisha, the association that looks after the game’s affairs in the state. Last year, former national captain Prabodh Tirkey was among three other Odia players who represented Jharkhand at the National Games. They said Hockey Odisha did not inform or invite them to play for their home state.

“There have always been ego clashes and politics in the body, which have demoralised us time and again,” Tirkey had then told The Telegraph.

But, Hockey Odisha secretary Pratap Satpathy said the association had always helped players. “Some players always find reasons to complain. But, we are doing our best,” said Satpathy. “Recently, we hosted the first state women’s hockey championship. Moreover, our teams have performed very well at the sub-junior and junior levels at national championships this year. We are also planning to conduct a clinic for hockey coaches and umpires. We have also spoken to the state sports department to increase both the number of seats in hockey hostels and turfs for practice,” he said.