Let us not bother about who should coach the indian senior teams in both the men's and women's sections. Instead let us all do something at the grass root level. let all the retired hockey players who have played at various levels go to schools and start training the boys and girls who are below 7 years of age at every nook and corner of India and you will see lots and lots of children taking up hockey instead of cricket. ultimately cricket will have a natural death. If this is done, you will have cream for the future and indian hockey will survive.
Most of the state associations today are surviving only because of sports hostels run by the various state governments like tamil nadu,karnataka,orissa,punjab,bihar,kerala.
Club hockey is almost dead because of fund constraints and due to lack of infrastructure. Most of the schools in India do not have hockey trainers/coaches and naturally they do not encourage hockey due to the fact that the current and retired hockey players have not offered their services to the schools. They can either work with the children as part time or full time hockey coaches.
As a matter of fact, I quit my bank job when i had 9 years of service and have worked with school children for the last 9 years.
I therefore, make a sincere appeal to all hockey lovers and current and retired players to take up one or two schools in their respective towns/villages/cities in real earnest to work for hockey revival and also see our country regaining the lost glory.
JAIHIND
RAJU VENKAT
919845311955
rajurajikargil@gmail.com