German hockey coach grooms Mumbai’s youngsters

India and Mumbai’s hockey hero Yuvraj Walmiki along with his brother Devindar Walmiki saw overwhelming response from the youth of the city as they got their hockey clinic off the ground at the Mumbai Hockey Association Ground, Churchgate with German coach Fabian Rozwadowski on Wednesday.

Around 40 odd youngsters of different age groups filled the hockey rink to an extent that there was no room for more people to be a part of the clinic, which will go on till November 9.

The Walmiki brothers have enjoyed their stints at national team with Yuvraj being a part of the squad that lifted the 2011 Asian Champions Trophy. The duo has trained in Germany where they were under the guidance of Rozwadowski. The student-teacher relationship soon turned into friendship and it was the German coach’s promise that got him here. “Yuvraj has also helped me grow as a coach. It was the promise that I made to him that I will come to Mumbai one day and do something for the kids here,” said Fabian, who coaches Alster Club in Hamburg, Germany.

“Now we all see the potential that could be garnered in Mumbai hockey. The coaches and the players seem very interested. It is a start of something big. There’s a lot of information exchange. I’m sure it will help them,” he further added.  

Pulling off such an event, Yuvraj credits the president of MHA, Manga Singh Bakshi and veteran Dhanraj Pillai for having had his back while he was planning to organise such an event. “The president approved my idea in a second and Dhanraj sir has always supported us when it comes to the youth of the city,” said Yuvraj.

Seven years ago, Yuvraj went to Germany following the footsteps of Dhananjay Mahadik, who played in the German Hockey League earlier. Walmiki stayed back and became a part of the league for around five years under the supervision of Fabian only to emerge as a better player. He feels he can give the kids what he could not have as one, with such events in the city. “When we were young, we only learned by watching, we did not have many coaches which is something that I do not want for aspiring youngsters,” he said.

“As soon as Fabian was giving them tips and ideas, I could see the spirits rising with tremendous positivity in the rink. There were so many people that we had to make a few wait because it became a lot for Fabian to handle,” further added Yuvraj, who is keen on coming back to the Indian contingent before the World Cup in 2018 begins.

The camp will conclude on November 9 with speculation of a match between India stars and the players who are training at the camp, which is not confirmed yet.