Charlesworth looks to join elite club

New Delhi, March 12: When 22 men from the two best hockey teams in the world take centre stage on Saturday night, there will be two others to watch out for — those behind the success of Germany and Australia — coaches Markus Weise and Ric Charlesworth respectively.
While the teams chase history, the coaches too have a lot at stake.

Victory here will mean Charlesworth will become just the second man to have been a part of a World Cup-winning team and have coached one too. For Weise, after coaching a German men’s and women’s team to Olympic gold, he’s now hoping to see his young boys take home a World Cup.

While Charlesworth’s men in gold and green were pre-tournament favourites, it was different for Weise, for whom the most important task was to ensure his boys did not get weighed down by expectations.
Speaking about building a team, Weise said, “It was very important to ensure there wasn’t too much hype around the boys as they entered the competition as defending champions and with only three players from the previous edition.”

Weise feels the key to his team’s success so far has been execution of plans and effective communication.
A victory here may not create ripples back in Germany, but it would be reward to for the passionate bunch of youngsters who have put their all-important academics on the back burner to be here.

“There is a big gap between football and rest of the sports in our country. Our victories are not celebrated, Michael Schumacher is the only other person after from the footballers who generates national interest. These boys play more for passion and that shows on the field,” said the 48-year-old German coach, who took over the reigns in 2006.

Age Correspondent