Amandeep Singh admits that he was surprised when he heard about his selection as the AFL head coach.
He started playing Footy during his school days and inspired many boys and girls from Indian sub-continent to play this sport. Amandeep says the response was overwhelming.
Now at least a couple of clubs representing the youth from the Indian sub-continent have come up which are doing really well.
Apart from playing the sport himself, Amandeep has continued to play a vital role in management, administration and coaching in the AFL.
It took years of hard work before his appointment as the head coach of U15 NSW/ACT All Nations Team was announced at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence.
Amandeep believes that Footy is a natural draw for the youth from the Indian subcontinent due to the sport being a combination of soccer and kabaddi - both of which are popular among the rural areas of north India.
Now he will be preparing for National Diversity Championship which is being held in Sydney from 15th to 19th April where teams from all the states will compete. All the participating players in the championship will be from diverse ethnic backgrounds, either themselves born overseas or their parents.
Amandeep says, this championship will help him develop great skills, including interacting with the media, problem solving and his overall growth as a coach.
Says its big responsibility. Source: Amandeep
He says he is very happy with the response from Indian Punjabi community to his appeal to play the sport a few years ago. Now there are a couple of clubs in Melbourne with most players from the Indian background. Sydney’s Super Sikhs Club has also made this game part of their club. This game will be played in oncoming Australian Sikh Games for the first time.
As the head coach, Amandeep will be supported by an assistant coach, manager and a runner to help him.
Amandeep says lots of training is available for AFL’s prospective coaches. It starts with level O, and goes up to Level 2. To get this training one must contact AFL multicultural programs or AFL diversity.
