THE SINGER BLUE AND GOLD HOCKEY SEVENS WILL BE TAKE PLACE ON 8TH AND 9TH OF OCTOBER AT ROYAL GROUNDS RIED AVENUE. THIS IS A MUCH LOOKED FORWARD TO EVENT IN THE SCHOOLS HOCKEY CALANDER. HOCKEY PLAYING SCHOOLS ALL OVER THE ISLAND BOTH GIRLS AND BOYS HAVE TAKEN PART IN THE TOURNAMENT OVER THE YEARS INCLUDING TEAMS FROM JAFFNA, MATARA AND UVA.
THE ORIGINAL BLUE & GOLD ALL ISLAND HOCKEY SEVENS TOURNAMENT WAS STAGED WAY BACK IN 1992 SANS A SPONSOR AND IT WAS ONE DAY AFFAIR AND RESTRICTED TO THE BOYS CATEGORY ONLY AND HAD ONLY 16 TEAMS. HOWEVER AFTER A LAPSE OF TEN YEARS AND ON THE INITIATIVE OF THE TWO SENIORS OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE HOCKEY CLUB NAMELY THE LATE LIONEL ALMEIDA ( BETTER KNOWN IN RUGBY CIRCLES ) AND CHANDI CHANUGAM BOTH VICE PRESIDENTS OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE HOCKEY CLUB ENTHUSED THE COMMITTEE TO RE-COMMENCE THE TOURNAMENT. WITH THE ADVENT OF SINGER SRI LANKA A PIONEER IN SUPPORTING AND PROMOTING SPORTS IN SRI LANKA FOR SO MANY DECADES. PLACED THEIR CONFIDENCE IN THE METICULOUS AND PROFESSIONAL APPROACH OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE HOCKEY CLUB AND GAVE A HUGE BOOST TO THE TOURNAMENT. AS THE MAIN SPONSOR OVER THE LAST DECADE AND A HALF SINGER SRI LANKA HAVE SEEN THE GAME SPREADING BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS. THE PARTICIPATION OF ALMOST 58 TEAMS COMPRISING 36 BOYS SCHOOLS AND 22 GIRLS SCHOOLS. THIS IS A LIVING TESTIMONY TO THE SUCCESS OF THE TOURNAMENT. THE INVALUABLE CONTRIBUTION MADE BY THE MAIN SPONSOR SINGER SRI LANKA, OTHER CO-SPONSORS AND WELL WISHERS HAS GONE A LONG WAY TOWARDS IMPROVING AND POPULARISING THE GAME ALL OVER THE ISLAND. THE ROYAL COLLEGE HOCKEY CLUB IS INDEBTED TO MAIN SPONSOR SINGER SRI LANKA, CO-SPONSORS, ADVERTISERS, THE SRI LANKA SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, THE SRI LANKA HOCKEY FEDERATION, THE SRI LANKA REFREES ASSOCIATION AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC HAS CONTRIBUTED MUCH TO THE SUCCESS OF THE TOURNAMENT. THIS TOURNAMENT CONTINUED UNINTERUPTED SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 2003 INSPITE OF THE DARK DAYS THAT PREVAILED IN THE COUNTRY, ON THE CONTRARY IT WENT FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH AND HAS FLOURISHED OVER THE YEARS.
THE SPIRIT OF CAMRADERIE, SPORTSMANSHIP AND THE CARNIVAL ATMOSPHERE THAT PREVAILS DURING THE TWO DAYS OF THE TOURNAMENT LEAVES A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE FOR ALL WHO PARTICIPATE AND WITNESS THIS TOURNAMENT.
OVER THE YEARS WITH THE INCREASE IN COMPETITION THE TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE WITH THE SUPPORT OF SINGER SRI LANKA INTRODUCED THE CUP, BOWL AND PLATE CHAMPIONSHIP IN BOTH GIRLS AND BOYS CATEGORIES AFTER THE LEAGUE IN THE INITIAL ROUND OF THE TOURNAMENT. THIS HAS PROVED TO BE ENCOURAGING FACTOR FOR ALL TEAMS PARTICIPATING. THE CHAMPIONS, RUNNERSUP AND 2ND RUNNERSUP IN ALL THESE SEGMENTS IN BOTH BOYS AND GIRLS CATEGORIES AFFORDED GREATER OPPOURTUNITIES OF SUCCESS TO THE PARTICIPATING TEAMS. IN ADDTION INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE ARE RECOGNISED WITH AWARDS FOR BEST GOAL KEEPER AND PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT IN BOTH CATEGORIES. THE BENEFITS OF THIS TOURNAMENT HAS MANY FACETS. THE ROYAL COLLEGE HOCKEY CLUB CONSISTING OF BOTH YOUNG AND SENIOR OLD BOYS COME TOGETHER AS A TEAM TO GIVE OF THEIR TIME, RESOURCES AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE AND PROMOTING THE GAME THEY PLAYED. THIS TOURNAMENT ALSO RECEIVES UNSTINTED SUPPORT FROM THE PRINCIPAL, STAFF, AND STUDENTS OF ROYAL CURRENTLY REPRESENTING THE SCHOOL IN ALL AGE GROUPS. THEREBY LAYING THE FOUNDATION AND RECEIVING A FIRST HAND EXAMPLE FOR THEM TO FOLLOW . THE TOURNAMENT ALSO HELPS TO IMPROVE, POPULARISE THE GAME AT BOTH ROYAL AND AMONG THE SCHOOLS ALL OVER THE ISLAND. THE TOURNAMENT ALSO OFFERS A WONDERFUL OPPOURTUNITY FOR TEAMS PARTICIPATING FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, DIVERSE TRADITIONS AND BACKGROUND, BREAKING ALL BARRIERS AND FEEL EQUAL TO ONE AND ALL. LOOKING BACK THE ORGANISERS AND SINGER SRI LANKA CAN TAKES PRIDE IN THEIR CONTRIBUTION BY STAGING THE TOURNAMENT IN FOR THE 14TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR WHICH COMMNCED WITH A HANDFUL OF TEAMS AT THE BEGINNING WHICH HAS NOW GROWN AND MULTIPLIED TO ALMOST FOUR FOLD IN A MATTER OF FOURTEEN YEARS. THIS SPEAKS VOLUMES FOR IMMENSE SUCCESS OF THE TOURNAMENT SO FAR AND AUGURS WELL FOR THE GAME OF HOCKEY IN GENERAL AND AT SCHOOL LEVEL IN PARTICULAR. THE ENERGITIC TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE HAVE SPARED NO PAINS IN THE PAST AND THIS YEAR IS NO EXCEPTION. AN EXCITING AND A HIGHLY COMPETETIVE TOURNAMENT IS ON THE CARDS AT THIS HOCKEY EXTRAVANGANZA ON 8TH AND 9TH OCTOBER AT THE ROYAL COLLEGE GROUNDS AT REID AVENUE
