Development and talent scouting, formula for success
Development is a long word and it underlines the time taken for it to mature and bear fruits.
However, many neglect development and choose the short cut to success which is not guaranteed though – through naturalisation and giving citizenship to foreign players and hiring of foreign coaches on short term contracts, which leaves no foundation for the future.
And when some opt for development, they expect instant results or in some cases “begin today and expect results yesterday”.
Development coaches get the sack in a couple of years, when their players are still young and no results are forthcoming.
Talent scouting plays a vital role too and work hand in hand with development, because without talent scouting and spotting the potentials, development programmes could well take and even longer time to bear fruits.
Several sports associations have talent identification programmes, and this is another source for development programmes.
Then, there are clubs and academies who work with youth, but a majority work independently and there is no link to the sports associations or schools, to pass on their talent.
Recently, the FA of Malaysia, got all sports academies to register and monitor them, by grading their academies based on several criteria and assisting them. This is indeed a good move, not only in monitoring these academies, but also to keep tab of the talents available and providing them a pathway to higher level and also serve as a reservoir of talent for the future.
This is where, the scribe has mentioned and called for ex-internationals time and again, to ex-internationals of all sport, who are currently NOT involved in sports administrations, coaching, managing, consulting or even involved in any sports programme, to come forward help in talent scouting.
Take for example a Tamil school in Rinching (near Semenyih in Selangor near another small town Bernanang) who started a hockey development programme in 2016, through the initiative of former international and member of the 1975 national World Cup team who finished fourth in Kuala Lumpur, K.Balasingam.
Bala, as he is fondly known, saw the school team in 2015 at the Royal Selangor Club annual hockey tournament and was impressed by the team’s performance.
He inquired about the team and offered to sponsor the team with hockey sticks, balls, jerseys and some financial assistance and has been doing so every year since.
As SJKT L. Rinching was only a primary school, a programme was started for those who under the school programme but have who moved to other nearby schools to continue their secondary education, could continue to train under qualiofied coaches S. Kaalitash (school teacher) and M. Gopal (a retired government servant), who were the prime movers of the programme.
Today the programme has about 80 players, including players from other schools of mixed races.
While they started to train at the school field which was in deplorable conditions, Nottingham University in Semenyih on hearing of the programme, offered their field for training for free twice week.
Recently, Nottingham University donated hockey sticks and balls for the programme.
Called ‘STAR’ programe (Sekolah Tamil Rinching), the programme has seen players graduate to join Sports School – Bukit Jalil, SMK Anderson, Ipoh and SMK Mutiara Impian, Penang.
But after more than six years of hardwork, dedication and support by Kaali, Gopal and Bala, today saw the joy and pride when one of their players – 17-year-old Eswaran George – who comes from a poor family in Ringching and student of SM Mutiara Impian, who was recently called up to join the Junior World Cup training squad, was selected to represent the team in the upcoming Sultan of Johor Cup.
Others in Sports Schools from the STAR programme include: in Bukit Jalil – M. Tasvindran (15) and K. Deswindran (15); in SMK Anderson – M. Thanseh (16), M. Yugesh (15), S. Leswin (15); and SMK Mutiara Impian – T. Kugan Raaj (15) and A Raguram (13).
Players from the programme were placed in Ipoh and Penang through the initiative of Bala and another former international Jiwa Mohan, who has hockey academies in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
Jiwa admitted as many as 25 players from Rinching programme in his academy for free.
The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) and president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal, have also recognised the efforts of STAR and visited them and helped them financially too.
This is a proven record of a small school in a remote district with a proper development programme by dedicated coaches and support of ex-internationals, which will all probability produce national players one day. They are already on the right path.
But it took them six long years to reap their harvest and that too only to reach the junior level, but they have reached a milestone and more goodness is on their way.
Thus, who says that there is a dearth of talent in sports in Malaysia?
It only takes time, effort, dedication, comb the length and breath of Malaysia, have the talent scouts on ground, have proper long term developments programmes with qualified coaches, proper monitoring and assistance given, before we reap the benefits after a minimum of six years at least.
Are we ready to take the long term path of proven success or continue to rely on short term programmes or take the road to rely on foreign players and hope success is achieved, probably on a short term basis too?
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