Yogeswaran: I want a successor

13/11/2002

DATUK R. Yogeswaran was happily enjoying playing golf after officially
retiring from hockey in March, that is, until he was drawn back into the
game by the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) council.
Yogeswaran got four appointments - Coaching Committee chairman,
Independent Delegate, member of the Selection Committee and member of the
Technical and Development Committee.
The appointments came as a shock to him because he had made it clear
that he was not interested in MHF posts, but was willing to help in a low-
key role.
"But since the MHF council has decided to name me in various committees,
I accept the appointments for one reason only.
"I would like to train a successor in the Coaching Committee and call it
a day when the committee is on a sound footing," said Yogeswaran.
Yogeswaran has done and seen everything in hockey and he firmly believes
that the present committee chairpersons should set themselves a target -
and resign without being told to if they failed to achieve it in the next
two years.
"I have many ideas on how to improve coaching in the country and I
believe in setting targets. If I do not achieve it, it is better I let go
instead of hanging around past my time."
And to achieve his targets he is looking for support form the parent
body in the form of an office, and a budget to work on.
"The Coaching Committee cannot run on its own, we need help from the
Federation and the first necessity is to have an office where we can
conduct our affairs efficiently.
"Coaching, like all the other committees, needs to have a budget to run
the show as we can no longer run on an ad-hoc basis and source for money
one week before our programmes begin," said Yogeswaran.
He also feels that all the other committees - Technical and Development,
Schools, Umpires Board and Competitions - need to work together because
their work is inter-related.
"All the committees must sit and set a target, example for the national
team, and then help each other achieve it. If not, nothing will be gained
when the present term ends."
For a start, Yogeswaran would like to get parents involved in
`coaching'.
"They need not sit for exams and get certificates but parents who are
interested to groom their children into hockey players can help by
imparting the correct basics.
"Right now, very few parents are involved in a big way in hockey and
students rely too much on unqualified teachers to teach them the basics.
That is why the selectors have a tough time looking for young players with
strong basics for national camps.
"Once we get parents involved in hockey, I believe half the battle is
won," said Yogeswaran.
Coaching Committee - Chairman: Datuk R. Yogeswaran; secretary: Dr Balbir
Singh; Members: Teng Cheng Leong, C. Paramalingam, Yang Siow Ming, N. Sri
Shanmuganathan, Arrifin Mohamed Ghani, Vincent Fernandez, Ahmad Shukri
Dhaban, I. Vikneswaran, B. Rajendran.
(END)