New Delhi: Former captain Jude Felix Sebastian was Tuesday appointed coach of the Indian junior men’s hockey team.
Hockey India made the appointment following the team’s successful Europe tour that featured nine players from last year’s junior men’s core group.
India’s High Performance Director David John emphasised that the programmes initiated by Hockey India in the past five-six years are paying dividends with the juniors pushing for a spot in the senior team, increasing the talent pool in this new Olympic cycle.
The 33-member junior men’s core group will train under Jude Felix as the boys prepare for defending the World Championship title.
“With Hockey India’s programmes structured to bring good results in the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games, I would expect players from this junior core group to push the seniors for a spot in the team,” he added.
As a player, Felix was a vital cog in the Indian team as a half-back. His composed attitude with a wide vision for hockey’s development set him apart from his contemporaries. Felix is an Arjuna Awardee (1995) and was the captain of the team from 1993 to 1995. He also led the team in the 1993 World Cup and in the Asian Games in 1994 at Hiroshima.
Felix has played more than 250 international matches and represented India in two Olympic Games in 1988 (Korea) and 1992 (Barcelona), two World Cups in 1990 (Pakistan) and 1994 (Sydney).
He also worked as the coach of Dutch U-18 national team in the Leo Van der Kar in 1997. His previous stint with the national team was in 2014 when he assisted chief coach for men’s team Terry Walsh.
press trust of India
