LAHORE: Dar Hockey Academy is easily the best hockey nursery of Pakistan. For last many years, the academy is serving as the biggest reservoir of players in Pakistan at all the tiers: National team, national age group sides, domestic teams, etc. The Lahore based academy grooms talent scouted from all over the country. Boys picked from outside Lahore are also provided with boarding and schooling. For international exposure, the academy has gone on six tours of leading European hockey nations, Holland, Belgium and Germany, besides visiting Asian hockey powers India and Malaysia. In recognition of its immense services to Pakistan hockey in grooming the young talent, CEO of the Asian Hockey Federation, Tayyab Ikram has announced that the Dar Academy willd be granted affiliation to the AHF. The affiliation entails Dar Academy to various benefits. The AHF would facilitate the academy in arranging its training tours to the member countries. The continental federation may also send qualified coaches/trainers to the academy for a certain period. Likewise, the Dar Academy’s coaches could attend the AHF`s courses. Tayyab Ikram also donated Rs 500,000/- to the Dar Academy from his own pocket, apart from two goalkeeper kits. The Dar Academy’s President Olympic gold medallist Tauqeer Dar expressed his gratitude to Tayyab Ikram, “Recognition of the academy’s role by the CEO of the AHF is a great honour for the Dar Academy. The affiliation will go a long way towards further enhancing academy’s efforts to nurture the young talent in Pakistan”.