Teacher Kaalitash Turns Humble School Project Into Hockey Talent Pipeline

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- What started as a hockey development project at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SJKT) Ladang Rinching, Hulu Langat, a decade ago has grown into a wider grassroots programme that could produce future national hockey stars.

The man behind the journey is 44-year-old S. Kaalitash, who has been teaching at SJKT Ladang Rinching since 2016.

Among the players to emerge from his development programme is rising hockey player Eswaran George, who has progressed to the national junior setup and recently represented Malaysia at the 2026 Men’s Hockey Junior Asia Cup in Moqi, China.

Eswaran, together with his fellow Young Tigers teammates, then booked their place in next year’s Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup after finishing fourth at the 2026 Men’s Hockey Junior Asia Cup.

Kaalitash said the key to producing players capable of reaching that level, such as 20-year-old Eswaran, is consistency rather than short-term success.

“We are not a Malaysian sports school or a school specifically for hockey, but just an ordinary day school. I have to conduct training four times a week and hire external, qualified coaches to train these children consistently.

“We then take them to open tournaments and arrange friendlies against schools in the state. Only then can we see their level and assess their capabilities. I have maintained this approach consistently throughout the year,” he told Bernama.

The Mathematics and Physical Education (Pendidikan Jasmani) teacher was met before appearing as a guest on Bernama TV’s ‘Paarvai’ talk show here.

Kaalitash’s commitment has translated into results at school and state level, with SJKT Ladang Rinching winning the Hulu Langat District Schools Sports Council title for 10 consecutive years since 2017.

The Sungai Petani-born teacher also guided the Hulu Langat district team to three consecutive Selangor titles before taking charge of the Selangor Under-12 side from 2023 to 2026, helping the state win four straight Malaysian School Sports Council titles.

Not only that, after starting the school's hockey development programme from scratch in 2016, Kaalitash established Star Hockey Academy a year later to provide young players with a platform to train and compete more consistently beyond their school commitments.

The academy, which now has more than 120 players comprising 80 boys and 40 girls aged between four and 18, has become an important extension of Kaalitash's development work, with players given regular training, exposure to tournaments and opportunities to test themselves against stronger opposition.

However, the father of three said his biggest measure of success is not simply the number of trophies won but how many players can progress to the next level.

He was delighted to see eight players from his development programme move on to Bukit Jalil Sports School here and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Anderson in Ipoh, which is an iconic secondary school that has been one of the key talent feeders in the Malaysian hockey landscape.

Despite his project starting to bear fruit, Kaalitash said it had come at a heavy price, with maintaining such a programme requiring considerable personal sacrifice as training and tournaments often took up his time outside school hours.

“Every day is about hockey, including training and taking players to friendly matches. Only then can you see results. I need to remain consistent and highly disciplined in planning this development programme to ensure its success,” he added.

He now hopes more of his players can eventually break into the senior national setup and give him even greater reason to smile.

-- BERNAMA