Bhopal, May 19 (H.S.): Tim White, head coach of the India women's junior hockey team, praised the performance of young players during the India–Australia Under-18 Exposure Series held in Bhopal. During his visit to observe the ongoing series, White said that Under-18 coach Rani Rampal is doing excellent work with the young group of players.

White, who took charge of the Indian Under-21 women’s team in Bengaluru about six weeks ago, emphasized the importance of strong coordination between junior and senior levels.

Speaking to Hockey India, he said, “I was very excited to come to Bhopal to watch the Under-18 players because they represent the direct pipeline of future talent. I have had excellent conversations and coordination with Rani, and she is doing outstanding work with this young team.”

He added that the squad includes several 15- and 16-year-old players who have significant potential for physical and technical development.

“The improvement and adaptation shown by the players between the first and second matches against Australia has been very encouraging. This series is focused on player development for both countries,” he said.

White also shared his early experiences in Indian hockey, stating that his role as head coach of the Tamil Nadu Dragons men’s team in the Hockey India League helped him better understand the Indian hockey ecosystem.

He said, “The past six weeks have been very busy, but we have achieved what I wanted in the initial phase. Based on my coaching experience in countries like Australia and Belgium, I believe the fundamentals of coaching remain the same everywhere. There are minor language barriers, but we overcome them easily through translation, whiteboards, and simple messaging.”

“My primary goal is to help Indian junior girls play a modern and more dynamic style of hockey that allows their full potential to be realized,” he added.

Looking ahead to the Junior Women’s Asia Cup scheduled in China in September, White said the team’s objective is not only to win medals at the junior level but also to prepare players for the senior national team.

“Our short-term goal is to build a strong squad by September that can strongly challenge Asian powerhouses like China. However, the true purpose of the junior programme is to develop the right habits, technical understanding, and style of play so that players can immediately perform at the highest level when they move to the senior team,” he said.

Comparing European and Indian player development systems, White noted, “In European countries like Belgium and the Netherlands, player development is driven through club systems, whereas in India, due to the vast geographical scale, there is greater reliance on hostel and academy-based structures. Both systems have their advantages. My experience in the Hockey India League has helped me quickly understand the passion people have for hockey in India.”

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar