Heuvel aims to bring international standards to Pakistan

KARACHI: Pakistan hockey coach Michel van den Heuvel has aimed to emulate international standards and ensure consistency in the team for the upcoming assignments.

Former Dutch coach Heuvel, who took up the assignment in June following a successful stint with Holland finishing third in the World Cup earlier this year, said he was satisfied with the way Pakistan players improved after a disastrous season.

“I am coaching them according to international standards. And although there is nothing wrong with holding a camp here in Pakistan, the only problem is that foreign teams are reluctant to visit,” Heuvel told The Express Tribune.

“This is a face that we cannot change but at the same time we need the players to play with other teams as much as possible, so we need to travel to other countries.”

Heuvel said that his main focus during the training camp in Abbottabad is physical fitness of the players. According to the Dutch, the playing style is not different between the European and the Asian nations. However, the Pakistan coach added that there is a need for improved standards in the team.

“I saw Pakistan play in Barcelona in 1991 and I want to bring that hockey back,” added Heuvel.

But he suggested that Pakistan be realistic about their chances in the Asian Games. Heuvel said a lot of hard work will be required since the pool also included South Korea and India, who did better than Pakistan in the World Cup and the newcomers Japan and China are competitive as well.

Aiming High

The coach, besides coaching the senior team, has also expressed his desire to improve Pakistan White, Under-21 and Under-16 teams as well.

“I want to strengthen Pakistan hockey, it’s not just the senior that I am on concentrating on,” said Heuvel.

“I wanted to go to Singapore as well, to see how Pakistan is doing in the Youth Olympics but couldn’t because we have an ongoing camp,”

The Dutch said that he has been working on creating a pool of players ever since he joined. He has chosen 33 players in Karachi out of which 18 players have been kept for the senior team while the rest have been picked for Pakistan Whites and the Junior team that is representing the country in the first Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2010.