He does his bit for hockey

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B. Azhagarasan’s abiding passion for hockey has inspired him to dig deep into his pocket and set up a club. ABM Infotech, the brainchild of Azhagarasan, have reached the top division in the Chennai Hockey Association league within five years of their formation.

The going has been good, if not extraordinary, for the private club in the ongoing super division. “We have won two out of three matches so far. My youthful team dispatched City Police and TNEB 5-1 and 10-0 respectively. We lost to Southern Railway 0-2. Our dream of qualifying for the super six is still alive. If we beat Indian Bank and Tamil Nadu Police, we can reach the elite league,” Azhagarasan, 41, said.

Hockey has been an inseparable part of Azhagarasan ever since he grabbed the curved stick as a school boy. “I played for Spic and the state junior team before taking up a job owing to my family circumstances. But the hockey fire in me still remains as fierce as ever. I’m thrilled to see my club play at the top tier of the Chennai league,” he said.

When big teams in Chennai such as Southern Railway and Indian Bank are struggling to fill their sports quota vacancies, Azhagarasan has cast his net wide to strengthen his squad. This season he signed as many as 12 players from Karnataka. Four players have been given jobs at ABM Infotech, a laptop servicing company Azhagarasan owns.

Azhagarasan always keeps his eyes open to bring talented youngsters from all parts of the country to ABM. He is not bogged down by narrow regional concerns. “With Chennai SAI fielding two teams in the super division, there is a paucity of talent in our state. That is why I had to go to Karnataka to find the core of my team. What is wrong in doing so? ABM’s doors are open to all Indians. Merit is the sole criterion to get into my team,” he said with conviction.

ABM’s Karnataka contingent is mainly drawn from Ashish Ballal Academy, SAI and Department of Youth, all three based in Bengaluru. Leo, a coach at the Ballal Academy, and Shanmugam, a veteran coach in Karnataka, helped Azhagarasan in finding players for his club.

Azhagarasan is the player-coach of his team, even though his position at the helm of ABM Infotech keeps him busy every day. “I never miss a practice session whatever company-related work I have for the day. I talk about professionalism all the time, so I can’t afford to be lax. Anyway, I never thought about leaving hockey at any stage of my life,” he said.

Though there is all-round praise for the work of Azhagarasan in Chennai’s hockey circle, the businessman keeps his feet on the ground.

“I haven’t done anything extraordinary. I would say running the club is just a small step. There is a long way to go. There is a sense of fulfillment when ABM players secure government jobs and make grade to the next level. ABM will always stick with India’s national game,” he added.