Hockey Club Rotterdam: Pakistan hockey star Sohail Abbas will lead a team of international players in a match against the Dutch national side to raise money for the victims of the Pakistan earthquake in Rotterdam this Wednesday (26 October).
Abbas, together with former Pakistan international Waseem Ahmad, play in the Dutch competition for Hockey Club Rotterdam. After Abbas was interviewd by Dutch television about the devastating situation in his home country, the idea was born for the benefit match.
Abbas invited numerous players from Australia, England, New Zealand, Canada, Spain, Argentina and India who all play in Dutch top league to join his team to raise money for charity and the thousands of victims affected by the earthquake.
“It will be one of the strongest hockey sides ever,’’ Abbas said.
The match will be played in the stadium of Hockey Club Rotterdam. The club, the largest in the world with mopre than 2,500 members, will collect money from spectators.
Dutch television will hold a nationwide fundraising event around the match, with the clubhouse of Hockey Club Rotterdam converted into a giant television studio for the night.
By initiative of Hockey Club Rotterdam, all the Dutch hockey clubs will donate 1 euro for each club member. At present, the Netherlands has more than 300 clubs with more than 175,000 players.
The All Star-team consists of: Ben Hawes (England, Amsterdam), Bernardion Herrera (Spain, Club de Campo), Connor Grimes (Canada, Rotterdam), Dillip Turkey (India, Klein Zwitserland), Gagan Ajeet Singh (India, Klein Zwitserland), Grant Schubert (Australia, Klein Zwitserland), Jamie Dwyer (Australia, Bloemendaal), Matias Villa (Argentina, Tilburg), Nitim Kumar (India, Eindhoven), Philip Burrows (Nieuw Zealand, Rotterdam), Pol Amat (Spain, Amsterdam), Rob Short (Canada, Rotterdam), Rodrigo Garza (Spain, Den Bosch), Sandeep Singh (India, Eindhoven), Sohail Abbas (captain, Pakistan, Rotterdam), Stephan Veen (Netherlands, Rotterdam), Troy Elder (Australia, Oranje Zwart), Vir Raja (India, Eindhoven) en Waseem Ahmad (Pakistan, Rotterdam). Coach: Alejandro Varga (Argentina, Amsterdam).
