Alex on his last date as coach along with young hockey players at Peddem ground, Mapusa.
Alexander Remedios has dedicated his life to hockey and is known as one of its popular faces of the National game in the State.
On and off the field he has been working round the clock on any given day to elevate the game in the state in his own unique way. From spotting talent, grooming them and lending a helping hand in terms of off field guidance ranging from handling the educational load to planning their coaching schedule, Alex, as he is called fondly by his friends and admirers, is always at hand.
It was no surprise that his name figures in the list of outstanding sports promoters who will be felicitated during the annual get-together of Association for the Wellbeing of Elderly Sportspersons (AWES) at the BPS Sports Club, Margao, on Sunday April 7 at 11 am.
AWES is an association created by present and former players, coaches and administrators, created specifically to recognise, assist and bring together all those who have brought laurels to the state and country in the past. Alex is delighted that the game is getting recognised in the state along with other sports in the state.
“Happy not because I am going to be felicitated, but happy that hockey in Goa is at last got the recognition with other sports in Goa,” said the Arpora-born coach.
Alex, an alumnus of St Paul’s HS Belgaum, began his coaching career as a coach with Sports Authority of India (SAI) and was based in Maharashtra and Goa.
Four years in the job, he quit to join the Goa Government service as coach with Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs (DYSA) and retired as coach in 2019.
For the last five years ever since his retirement as a coach, Alex does not like to be away from the game and is often seen as a technical advisor for several clubs in North Goa and also officiates matches as a qualified referee of the game.
For one who is in touch with the pulse of the game in the state in different capacities Alex is hoping that a function like the one held at BPS by AWES will motivate many stakeholders of the game.
“Hope this will motivate the players, coaches and administrators to take our hockey in the elite group,” he added.
Taking a walk down memory lane, Alex said he got interested in sports at a very young age while studying at the St Paul’s HS Belgaum.
“At my school, St.Paul's HS Belgaum, the school not only produced brilliant students, but great sportsmen also,” he said.
Alex was good at football and hockey.
“I was an all-round sportsman in school. At 15, played in the school U -19 hockey team that won the Charanjit Rai Cup, inter-school competition in Bombay,” he said.
After his school studies in Belgaum, he joined SS Dempo Panjim and continued his sporting pursuits in hockey and football along with his studies.
“I represented college in football and hockey. Played for Bombay varsity in hockey, for two consecutive years. Played more football, during my college days, as not much hockey was played in Goa,” he recalls.
“I played for San Miguel Taleigao, a football club recognised by Goa Football Association, which was playing in the first division league and also for my village Arpora in inter-village tournaments,” he said about his football journey as a player.
But hockey continued to be his first love, although he had brief flings with football, he represented Goa in hockey at the Junior and Senior Nationals and also captained the Goa Senior team in 1984.
“I did my NIS in Hockey in 85 – 86 and joined Sports Authority of India, in 1987, as a coach and was posted in Maharashtra and Goa. I resigned from SAI in 1991, and joined Goa Govt. as state coach and worked till I retired in 2019. Was posted at Peddem, Mapusa and Fatorda Margao (for 5 years),” he said about his coaching journey in Goa.
As part of his coaching job besides training the state teams, he has also coached the State level school champions who represented the State at the National level tournament.
He coached the State winners of the Nehru tournament, the School Games state teams, Sub Junior, Junior and Senior state teams (boys and girls) at the Nationals.
Among the notable achievements as a coach was when Fr Agnel Pilar won the Consolation Cup beating TN school, in the Sub Junior Nehru tournament in Delhi in 1995.
Aldo when Goa school games teams (boys and girls) qualified for the quarter-final in the late 90's at Chandigarh and Delhi respectively, in the U-19 age group.
He also coached Team Goa, India at the International Hockey tournament, recognised by FIH and organised by Portugal in 2008 in Lisbon where Goa lost to Portugal in the final.
Alex who passed the High-Performance Coaching, Level 1 and Level 2 conducted by FIH at Lucknow and Delhi is happy that many people are coming forward to help to promote the game in different ways and at different levels.
Alex is happy that the game is going to the villages especially in Sattari taluka with villages like Morlem. Sonshi, Honda, Keri and Bhuimpal getting grassroot programmes thanks to the initiative of Hockey Heritage Group Goa, Stars of Sattari and Hockey Kheluia.
“Hockey administrators must have a road map for the game and work in a professional and transparent way,” he said.
He urged the hockey administrators to kick off youth development programmes in the State.
“Start with the age group 14 to 16 years and you will get results in 5 years,” he said on a parting note.
