New Delhi: Having called it a day after winning his second successive Olympics bronze, PR Sreejesh has donned the hat of Director of Hockey for SG Pipers, the Delhi franchise of Hockey India League that marks its return after almost eight years. The 36-year-old pulled out of the player auction, set to be held from October 13-15, and will be seen mentoring the youngsters in the upcoming league that is due to start on December 28.
Excerpts from the interview:
You decided not to enter the auction and take up the role of Director Hockey at SG Pipers. What prompted this decision?
My career as a player ended on a high at the Paris Olympics with a bronze medal. My send-off from the sport was like a dream… playing my last international at the Olympics, winning a medal, being the flagbearer for the country at the Games. After that, coming back to India and getting the wonderful reception at home, my jersey being retired.. all of this is stuff of fairytale. I wanted to savour those moments as the lasting memories of my career. I also didn’t want to block the way for a youngster. I consulted my friends, family, coaches, and well-wishers and everyone said I need to do something different. That’s when this new role came up and I am obviously looking forward to it.
How excited are you to team up with Graham Reid again?
Look, getting an experienced coach is really important for the Hockey India League simply because the coach should know the Indian talent available. In the 24-member squad of each team, there will be 18 Indians. We felt the need of having somebody who understands the players well and knows how they feel on and off the pitch. Graham Reid’s credentials as the Indian coach are well known and I always shared a very comfortable working relationship with him. Our assistant coach, Shivendra Singh, has also worked under Reid. So, it’s going to be easy for each one of us to work together.
What can the new HIL learn from the leagues in Europe?
Europe has a very different dynamic. The distances are much shorter, the calendar is more conducive. If you drive for two hours, you reach another country. So, it’s quite easy for you to travel and play. There, the leagues run for 6-8 months. Tournaments are lengthy, matches are played over the weekend. So, that’s a very different format than what we have here in HIL. We must not forget that the national players are engaged with the Indian team for almost 260-270 days a year. A European style league hence may not possibly work here.
The priority of Hockey India League is to develop young talent. It has the potential to really upscale our grassroot level. HIL format brings all the international players on one platform and asks them to perform at the top level in a short period of time. It presents a completely different set of challenges. The great thing is that it will give our youngsters the experience of playing semi-finals and finals, which I believe, is vital. It’s a great platform for letting players mature.
Look at what our indigenous leagues such as Indian Premier League, Indian Super League or Pro Kabaddi League are doing for the national teams. A robust league structure can be a good alternate pathway for talented youngsters to play for India. Playing in front of big crowds will be a big plus. Sharing the same dressing room as some of the top Indian and foreign players, sharing same meeting room, sharing same dining hall… you unwittingly pick up lessons in leadership and life apart from sport.
Could you throw some light on your team philosophy and the kind of players you will be aiming for at the auction?
Well, that is primarily the choice of the chief coach. Being an experienced player, I always prefer to blood in youngsters in my team. Both our head coaches, of men’s and women’s teams, come with the rich experience of working with national teams.
However, the rest of the coaching staff is all Indian. Besides the players, I want the Indian support staff, physios and coaches to learn and grow because they will ultimately go on to serve the national team. The philosophy is to make the Indian players as comfortable as possible while giving them the best technical guidance we can. We will try to target a good bunch of juniors and create a system for them. Obviously, there will be a blend of senior and experienced players as well.
But largely, you’ll see us fielding a young side. We will also go for some big names and star players so that the younger lot can look up to them and apply whatever learnings they get to advance their careers.
