Give hockey coach opportunity to build a junior team

CONGRATULATIONS, Speedy Tigers, on qualifying for the prestigious Hockey World Cup to be held from Aug 14 to 30 in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Besides the players, head coach Sarjit Singh and his coaching staff, Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal and development chairman Datuk Majid Manjit Abdullah must be congratulated for this success.

I have followed this team over the last two years and I must say their hard work has really paid off. In our pool, China and Pakistan were major threats.

Pakistan is one of the most successful hockey teams in the world while China has top coaches from Australia and Holland.

But our team sealed their place at the highest level of international hockey again.

Sarjit has built a team that is showing positive results. It is essentially a young side with a lot of energy and determination. They know their weaknesses and are working hard to improve.

The great support from the hockey community and the media must also be mentioned.

Sarjit is probably the most experienced local coach, and MHC should give him and his staff an opportunity to coach a junior or under-18 side so that talents for the future are embedded into the system.

HARBAN SINGH

Subang Jaya