Pune: The historically-famed city of Aurangabad is all set to host its first-ever hockey National when the Hockey India 9th Junior National Hockey Championship 2019 (Men) ‘A’ Division unfolds on Sunday, 17 February 2019.

Twenty member-unit teams of the governing body Hockey India will set afoot to battle for honours on the newly laid artificial surface set at the scenic Sports Authority of India, Western Training Centre situated in the Dr. Babadaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University campus.

In a matter of pride for the city, the tournament is a first in the central Maharashtra region that covers Marathwada and Vidharba thus adding on to India’s fast-growing hockey map.
  
The final of the 12-day tournament is scheduled for Thursday 28  February.

Chairman, Organising Committee, Advocate Ramesh Jogdand, informed, “It is a huge privilege to host the Junior Nationals in our city well-known to many as a tourists’ paradise for the first time. We are leaving no stone unturned in making this event a never to forget experience for all players and officials.

Hosted by Hockey Maharashtra and its district-member Hockey Association Aurangabad (HAA), the tournament will be played in two stages and follow a league cum knock-out format among A-Division teams based on Hockey India’s gradation system.
 
The league (all-play-all) stage will feature all 20 participating teams play in four pools of five teams each. The top-two teams of each group will then advance to the knock-out quarterfinals, which is scheduled for 25 February 2019 followed by the semi-finals and finals.