PR Sreejesh Questions Hockey India's Coaching Decisions and Development Team Structure

Concerns Raised by PR Sreejesh

In New Delhi, former Indian goalkeeper and two-time Olympic bronze medalist PR Sreejesh has expressed his concerns regarding the coaching framework and the proposed 'development team' by Hockey India. In a recent post on X, he revealed that he was approached by the president of Hockey India about this initiative but has yet to receive satisfactory answers to his inquiries.

Sreejesh stated, "When the Hockey India president discussed the 'development team' with me, I posed several straightforward questions. Do we actually have a development team? Who are the players involved? What is the program's structure? Which camps have been approved for them? What tournaments are they gearing up for?"

When the Hockey India president offered me the “development team,” I asked a few simple questions:

Do we really have a development team?

Who are the players in this development group?

What is the structure of the program?

What camps are approved for them?

What tournaments are…

— sreejesh p r (@16Sreejesh) May 14, 2026

He noted that none of his questions were addressed. Additionally, he questioned the decision to reassign him as a goalkeeper coach after previously leading the junior team to a bronze medal at the Junior World Cup, asking whether this was a promotion or a demotion.

Sreejesh also pointed out the significant presence of foreign coaches and support staff within the national setup, detailing the various roles including strength and conditioning coaches, video analysts, goalkeeper coaches, and a sports psychologist. He remarked, "We have 4 teams, 6 foreign coaches, 3 foreign strength & conditioning coaches, 1 foreign video analyst, 2 visiting foreign goalkeeper coaches, and 1 visiting foreign sports psychologist."

He further highlighted that, according to the Hockey India app, only one Indian coach is currently assigned to each team. "At least we still have one Indian coach in each team, but the junior team is already filled. Perhaps it's time for the U18 team too," he commented.

Sreejesh acknowledged the contributions of senior players like Sardar Singh and Rani Rampal but questioned whether they would be deemed 'not experienced enough' for top coaching roles. He asked, "Sardar Singh and Rani Rampal are performing excellently, but does the president believe they are still 'not experienced enough' or 'qualified enough' to coach Indian teams? Should we expect more foreign coaches in these positions?"

These remarks followed a statement from Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, who clarified that Sreejesh was not 'fired' from his role as the coach of the men's junior hockey team, explaining that his contract was set to conclude in December 2025. Tirkey responded to Sreejesh's claims that his coaching position was terminated to make way for a foreign coach, stating that the organization adhered to a formal recruitment process to appoint a new coach.