CHENNAI: Hockey India on Thursday appointed Sardar Singh and Rani Rampal as the chief coaches of its U-17 boys and girls' programme respectively, the federation announced at a press conference on the sidelines of the men's Asian Champions Trophy.
The two Indian legends accepted the roles, as Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey and secretary general Bhola Nath Singh addressed the media.
Sardar led India to Asian Games gold in 2014 and was one of best playmakers of his era. Former captain Rani, who at present is not part of the national squad, is currently deployed at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala. She works for the Sports Authority of India.
Rani, who has not yet retired from the game, said that accepting this role does not mean she has quit and stopped making an effort to return to India colours.
She also raised questions over her ouster from the national team, pointing fingers at Chief Coach Janekke Schopman.
"Whatever happened with me in the last two years wasn’t right," said a visibly disgruntled Rani.
"I came back from an injury, was the top scorer at the National Games but wasn’t picked. The best person who can answer this is the Chief Coach or the selectors because I don’t know the answer. I am not retiring since I know I still have more to give to the sport as a player."
The revitalised sub-junior programme, which is currently being looked at for a duration of three years, will begin with a camp of 45-50 days at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela and will include 40 players each in the boys and girls' camp.
The selection has been done based on the performance of players at the Sub-Junior National Championships. The programme will also include exposure tours, beginning with trips to Belgium and the Netherlands.
"This is a wonderful initiative by Hockey India. It is very important to have a uniform programme at the national level for this age-group. I have always enjoyed working with youngsters. I look forward to this stint and to experience the world-class infrastructure in Rourkela," said Sardar.
Rani echoed the views of her fellow legend.
"Following the same methods as that of the junior and senior programme is a big step forward in creating a uniform training for grassroots level players, so that in future they won't find it difficult to adapt when they progress to junior or senior national camps. The playing structure will also be similar to what's followed by the senior teams. So I believe this camp will be a big step forward in the growth of the sport," Rani said.
