Despite the many ups and downs of a commonplace life, Coach Palickal has stayed faithful to his first love—football.
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From fiddling with a football on a dusty ground to being the only coach in his home state to have trained the maximum number of state teams on various levels, Kerala’s Rajeev Palickal has come a long way.
On a whirlwind visit to Singapore, 55-year old Palickal—presently Sports Development Officer for Palakkad, a district in North Kerala (South India)—talks to me about his greatest passion—football.
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In his fourth decade of football, one can still spot him on the grounds at dawn, jogging on mud tracks, coaching students or practicing the game.
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“My grandfather was so against the sport that he threatened to throw me out of the house along with the football,” says Palickal, rummaging through memories of rebelling against his grandfather. Disregarding the patriarch’s displeasure for sport, Palickal began to practice on a dusty patch of ground, which was a great distance away from his home. “I cycled twenty kilometres every day to kick a ball around,” he says, his eyes conveying a merry mixture of amusement and pride.
As a young student, Palickal played for Kerala University, after which he joined Kerala Police’s football team. “My most memorable moment was winning the All India Police Games as a professional player with the police team,” he says. “Our victory validated my earlier struggles and buoyed me up.”
A National Institute of Sports alumnus, he was later deputed by Kerala State Sports Council to coach football clubs and state teams in numerous league matches. Armed with effort, expertise and an unwavering ethic that placed the game above all, Palickal grew to earn the distinction of being the only coach in the state to have worked with the maximum number of state teams at various levels for a multitude of competitions.
In 2015, when his team failed to move beyond the semi-finals of the Santosh Trophy—one of India’s best-known national tournaments-—Palickal realized that if Kerala needs to reclaim its place in Indian football, its young footballers have to bring back discipline and passion into the game. That the Indian football team today has no Keralite player despite the sport having once dominated all other games in the state rankles Palickal. Apart from lack of infrastructure and low levels of fitness in young players, inculcating the killer instinct—the ruthless desire to win—remains one of his biggest challenges. “Indian players lack productive and passionate aggression, which is indispensable to any sport. The desire to win must surpass all other concerns,” he says.
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From humble beginnings, Palickal has risen to train generations of footballers, some of who do not have the financial strength to compensate him.
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In his fourth decade of football, one can still spot him on the grounds at dawn, jogging on mud tracks, coaching students or practicing the game.
With a no-nonsense approach to the rigors and proprieties of sport, Palickal insists that his students watch well-disciplined footballers on the ground before they begin practice. “The clothes we wear, the shoes we train in, our gait and our greeting, all indicate healthy respect for the game,” he says. “The moment a player dons his attire, he is a sportsman and nothing else. Politics, religion, caste or class ceases to matter. He belongs to a team, which belongs to him.”
Palickal’s wife—Suma Rajeev, a banker—tells me that his thirst for learning and growing remains insatiable. “He is currently busy with obtaining an A level license from the Asian Football Confederation,” she says, adding that Palickal continues to update his skills by attending international workshops and networking with coaches from all over the world.
Parenthood did overshadow Palickal’s professional growth for a while, but he has no regrets. “As my daughters grew, I realized that someone needed to be with them, especially in higher grades where we had to supervise their tests and tuitions.” Palickal put his career on hold as his two young children blossomed into beautiful young women capable of steering their own lives. He preferred to forgo jobs that required him to stay away from his family, and focused on being a footballer and a father. “I declined to coach many reputed clubs and delayed getting my licenses, which did affect our finances and my career, but it was the right thing to do,” he says.
From humble beginnings, Palickal has risen to train generations of footballers, some of who do not have the financial strength to compensate him. Along with a few others from his hometown, he runs a charity that uses its funds to select, train and facilitate the advancement of talented footballers from various schools across the district. With more than 200 matches over two decades, and being the coach to many football teams for more than 500 matches, Palickal has achieved—against all odds—the goals he set for himself as a young boy with a fondness for football.
As he stares at retirement barely a year from now, he looks back at a life that reflects patience, perseverance, and passion. “The best team has healthy men who are dedicated and know the right tactics. As a coach, I have strived to create the best,” he says. Being a footballer in a largely cricket-loving nation hasn’t been easy, but Palickal is confident that the future of Indian football is in safe hands. “There is a big mindset change at a grassroots level and we see many football academies coming up,” he says, adding that his goals of playing for the state and coaching a state team have both been fulfilled.
“Let’s hope I get a chance to be part of an academy of global standards so I produce a few Indian Ronaldos,” he concludes.
PALICKAL’S TIPS FOR YOUNG FOOTBALLERS
· Hold onto your dreams and goals
· Develop undying passion for the game
· Be consistent with practice
· Be disciplined in how you practice and play
· Celebrate your victories and learn from defeat
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