Hockey India has set December 31 as the initial deadline for receiving applications for the job of men’s national team head coach.
The application process, which began on Tuesday, could be extended into the new year if the governing body is not satisfied with the quality of applicants. However, that may not be an issue if HI’s High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans is to be believed. According to the Dutchman, “already a few people have shown interest.” Oltmans added that it would be preferable if the new coach is appointed in time for the next Hockey India League (January 22).
Oltmans was in the city to launch HI’s first online academy platform. The coaching programme will be made available to coaches at grassroots level who can ensure that Indian kids possess strong fundamentals in hockey.
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The academy platform will also be available free of cost to registered users. The programme has been divided into three phases. While the basic level was launched on Wednesday, the intermediate and elite levels should be available by April, 2015. The programme has three main categories – skills, tactics and physics.
For the users, 64 skills, video examples and match moments from the HIL each will be available. The video examples are provided with voiceovers in Hindi and English. Moreover, 140 exercise routines are detailed to augment the skill, tactical and physical development of players.