New Delhi: “Shaping the future” and “plugging the gap between the junior and the senior level”, are the focus for new-appointed junior India hockey coach Jude Felix.
A former skipper and assistant to Terry Walsh in 2014, Felix steps into the shoes of Harendra Singh, who guided the colts to the World Cup title in December last year. Aware that the task at hand was huge and with competition intensifying at the world level, Felix says he would draw upon his experience to take the team ahead.
Said Felix from Bengaluru after a training session with the boys, “The appointment couldn’t come at a better time. I understand that the benchmark has been set high and I cherish this situation. It is challenging, will require intense work and I am all prepared for it.
“My aim is the 2020 World Cup and also making sure that we are able to prepare the boys in such a way that their graduation to the senior team is seamless. It is what we will teach them now that will go on to shape their future and careers, and I am very aware of that.”
“Also, we are planning to send a few junior players for international Tests (senior) on a regular basis to help them learn faster,” said Felix, whose first assignment would be Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia in October.
