HI names Sreejesh junior men’s team coach

Retirement, Goalkeeper

Retires his jersey No. 16 from the senior side at his retirement function marked by the stars of the hockey fraternity, his teammates share anecdotes and moments with the legendary goalkeeper

Indian sports has never been big on gestures but PR Sreejesh’s retirement function here was marked by several of them, all grand and unprecedented.

For the first time, a hockey player had formally called time on his career and was officially celebrated by the federation. Hockey India permanently retired his jersey number – 16 – from the senior men’s team. “We will retain it in the juniors so that he can create many more Sreejesh,” HI secretary-general Bhola Nath Singh quipped.

Having announced his decision before the Paris Olympics, the 36-year old goalkeeper had already set the tone for his departure as a player. On Wednesday, he was officially named as coach of the junior men’s team – the camp will start on October 1 with the first outing likely to be Sultan of Johor Cup From October 19-26 – and mentor for goalkeepers in the senior side.

The entire Indian team and support staff turned up in specially-created Sreejesh jerseys to honour him, in the presence of his entire family. Teammates, coaches and former players shared their memories from the time together in the dressing room, all against a giant screen that had images from his two-decade long career flanking the words ‘God of Modern Indian Hockey’.

Motivator

“I have never seen Sree take rest when he is on the ground. He has motivated more than one generation of players. But it is his hard work and focus that stands out. When we started, we were 17-18 in the world but even then, his target was for India to be No. 1. It is that focus which has brought him this far,” former captain Sardar Singh revealed.