PETALING JAYA: Hockey received the highest sporting accolade when the national team won the “Team of the Year” award while their coach A. Arulselvaraj was judged the “Best Men’s Coach”.
Winning the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup for the first time in Ipoh and finishing runners-up in the Asian Cup in Jakarta as well as reaching the semi-finals of the Nations Cup in Potchefstroom, South Africa earned the Speedy Tigers the award during the ceremony on on Monday.
Arulselvaraj was not only instrumental in helping the Tigers to hold their own on the international stage but also turned them into a fighting unit that went the extra mile in training and competitions.
“I must say that this a complete recognition for the national team set-up. A coach is helpless if his players are unable to follow his training regime and philosophies and progress. They are the key to these honours,” said Arulselvaraj.
“They have been working hard and have become a strong unit. They are willing to give their all in matches and in training.
“It is fitting that they were named the best team and I would not have received my award if they had failed to produce the results.”
It has been quite a bumpy journey as Arulselvaraj decided to halt his hockey academy in Dublin when approached by the Malaysia Hockey Confederation (MHC) to take up the job as the chief coach of the national team in 2020.
Arulselvaraj did not ponder too long when the call of duty came and also decided to leave his three daughters (Tharine, Erin and Deppa) under his wife K. Soloseeni’s care to begin his journey as the coach.
Soloseeni, who works at the Malaysian Embassy, is a former national runner and understands Arulselvaraj’s role and responsibilities.
“My daughter did ask me why should I return to Malaysia when I have an academy in Dublin, I told her that I must be ready to serve when the nation needs me. It’s my passion to serve Malaysia,” said Arulselvaraj.
“I must thank MHC president (Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal) who gave me a free hand in running the Speedy Tigers and allowed me to take final decisions on the team.
“Datuk Mirnawan (Nawawi) was a very supportive team manager while (national team committee chairman) Datuk Ahmad Najmi (Abdul Razak) also backed me up as we started building the Tigers from scratch.
“My wife has been my pillar as she has been managing the family well in Dublin despite my absence.”
The journey will continue for Arulselvaraj, where he has arrived at a very crucial part of his career as a coach.
He needs to ensure Malaysia win the gold at the Asian Games in Hangzhou (Sept 23-Oct 8) to qualify automatically for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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