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Canada

By S. RAMAGURU
For more than two decades Kenya-born Shiaz Virjee has been a major influence in the Canadian hockey team, earning himself a name as a coach alongside big names like German Paul Lissek and Australian Terry Walsh. Shiaz, a FIH high-performance coach, is in Malaysia with the University of British Columbia team. STARSPORT’S S. RAMAGURU catches up with him.

KUALA LUMPUR: Canadian coach Shiaz Virjee has one word to describe the direction in which world hockey is going – power.

India and Pakistan once used to rule hockey with their silken skills but that has now taken a back seat as top teams have mastered the art of using power to their advantage. Shiaz feels that unless the other teams are willing to change, teams like Germany, Holland, Spain and Australia will maintain their grip on the sport.

“These teams have mastered the basic techniques like hitting, pushing and flicking to such an extent that they can now do it with such ease and have all the power to back them up. Their play is simple and does not require the great amount of skills that the Indians or Pakistanis possess.


SHIAZ: Questions the constant rule changes
“This power game has enabled them to reach the top and stay there as there is very little you can do when teams are so proficient and clinical in the way they play. They allow no room for mistakes.

“I firmly believe that if teams like India, Pakistan, Malaysia or for the matter Canada want to break through at the top, then your game must evolve in the way it has with these top teams,” he said.

The Kenya-born coach, however, said that although the elite teams would remain at the top of the pile, new teams will be fighting to break into the top dozen in the world.

China, he said, were a good example of a team who would be challenging for places among the top six by 2008. they will be able to challenge for a place in the top six category. He also said that Egypt who will host the Champions Challenge later this year is also another team which is making waves again.

“For me, it is exciting to see China emerging as a force. I feel they will be the team to beat by 2008. They have started to go out and play and mark my words: by next year, teams will be clamouring to play them so they can learn more about the Chinese.

“They are like another South Korea and will soon be a regular competitor in the world scene. The signs are there. The teams outside the big four will have to take note,” he said.

Shiaz has been all over the world and led the Canadian team to most of the top tournaments, except the Champions Trophy. Since he gave up coaching the national team in 2000 after the Sydney Olympics, Shiaz has decided to go back to his regular work and do age-group development. His son, Arif, who is 13, is also involved in the game in age-group competitions.

His present full-time job is as a manager, purchasing and strategic sourcing for a company providing business services for utilities.

Shiaz said he had felt that the time was right for him to quit international hockey after the Sydney Olympics.

“I wanted to pick my time to quit the national team and not wait till I am told to go. That is why a year before the Sydney Olympics, I told the association of my intentions no matter what the results at the 2000 Games.

“I’m not saying that I will not coach a national team again. I'll never say no to any coaching task. But if there is an opportunity to take charge of a national team in future then I will have to look at the option positively.

“For the moment, I am enjoying my role in junior development. I also have a lot of coaching courses to keep me busy overseas under the FIH banner. So, in many ways, I’m still very much involved in hockey but in a different capacity. It is just that you do not have to deal with the pressures of being a national coach. It is more relaxed now,” he added.

Shiaz also said he was not in favour of the continuing rule-changes, some of which he felt were not necessary at all.

“I believe the game has become more dangerous now with all the constant rule changes. I do not for one moment think that these rules have attracted new spectators to the game. There is a lot more confusion in the interpretation of the rules as compared to 10 or 15 years ago. I would like to ask: Why change the rules which have worked before? What is the need for changes if they do not bring about new interest from the people?

“Let us not change for the sake of changing.”

Shaiz was also against the introduction of composite sticks.

“What the composite stick has done is to help the power game. They help you hit the ball faster and harder and you do not need any other skills for it.

“The ‘wooden stick’ has been a proven equipment and again you wonder why there is a need to bring in a new stick which costs a lot of money.

“Are we making the game more accessible to the lower-end groups and children? They cannot afford such a stick. Sure, the national players can use it. They will get it sponsored. But players who train with a wooden stick will face a disadvantage when they go up against those with the new sticks,” he said.

On Malaysia, Shiaz said the country had one of the most complete facilities in the world but had to learn to evolve in the game.

“Malaysia have some very exciting talents and can be a force again. They need to make some changes to their game along the lines of the present top sides. I’m glad to see that local coaches are being given the task of moulding the national team.

“But the most important thing is that you need to keep changing with the times,” he said.

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