Local hockey players over the next two weeks will benefit from a major learning experience when they are graced with the presence of an international coach who has been in the business of coaching for over 40 years. From June 3 to June 15, Fédération Internationale de Hockey (FIH) coach, Shiv Jagday will host a series of comprehensive coaching sessions that will be catered to coaches, national and junior players.
The renowned coach learned the basics of the sport in his native land, India, and then went on to share his knowledge with the world. After successful stints in the USA and Canada, Jagday went on to lead the Canadian team to two Olympic appearances, two World Cups and two Pan American gold medals.
The effective coach made his first visit to Guyana in 1988 at the suggestion of then President of the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) Chris Fernandes. Coach Jagday visited Guyana on several subsequent occasions in the 1980s and was instrumental in the development of the sport during that period.
More recently, Coach Jagday conducted a well-received course in 2017, which is very similar to the one he will conduct this time around.
Apart from his clinics in the USA and Canada, Jagday now spends his time in Melbourne, Australia and Punjab, India where he has helped to establish a regional training institute that has seen nine players from Punjab selected for the current Indian national team.
In the junior section, 40 boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 19 will attend Jagday’s sessions. The male and female national teams who are currently preparing for the CAC games will come under Jagday’s guidance, in both theory and practical. Thirty coaches will also have the opportunity to increase their span of knowledge.
President of the GHB, Philip Fernandes, once a student of Jagday during his early visits, expressed great excitement and anticipation of the programme. He indicated that hockey always gets a welcomed boost whenever Jagday visits, since his presence leaves an indelible mark on local hockey.
