Football: Interview with Ishan Singh Rawlley (fmr. Mahindra United, Mohammadan Sporting)

Interview with Ishan Singh Rawlley – I-League player (Mahindra United in the 2005/2006, Mohammadan Sporting and Garhwal Heroes 2006/2007 and member Delhi U-19 team)

Ishan Rawlley went from being the “worst” player in Bill Adams Super Soccer Academy in New Delhi to playing for Mahindra and Mohemmadan Sporting. After playing professionally for 2 years, Ishan moved to the UK, completed a BSc in Sports Sciences. He is now enrolled in a MSc program in Strength and Conditioning and is gaining applied experience working as a strength and conditioning coach in elite sport.

We look forward to the day when all children can follow their dreams like Ishan through hard work, passion, good training programs can choose to follow the path of their dreams.

Please tell us about your family (siblings, parents), childhood years and key influences? Was football a part of your childhood as you were growing up?

I was born in Delhi and lived there until the age of 15, after which I moved to England. My grandmother (Sita Rawlley) who is a former international level golfer and Arjuna Award winner has always encouraged me to take part in sport. Being a successful sports person, I have always looked up to her for inspiration. My grandfather, who was a highly decorated general in the Indian Army and kept in very good physical condition throughout his life, was another person who provided me with tremendous inspiration during my childhood. Last but not least my mother has always been there for me and has been extremely supportive.I have been involved with sport from a very young age. I started playing cricket, tennis and golf from the age of 6 as well as took part in athletics and swimming at school. It was only at the age of 10 when I joined the Super Soccer Academy in Delhi that I developed a passion for football that has lasted to date.

Playing for Mahindra United

What made you sign up for a Soccer program with Bill Adams’ Super Soccer Academy at the age of 10? As a 10 year old were you able to detect and sense that level of coaching was much better than say what normal sports teachers provide?

I actually only signed up for the Super Soccer Academy because a friend of mine signed up and I initially had no real interest for the game. My friend actually asked me why I was signing up as one needed to be talented to join. Despite of this, I still signed and that is something I never regretted. Within an year’s time my football began to improve rapidly and I started to develop an immense passion for the game. This made me give up playing all other sport to devote all my time to developing my self as a footballer.

Pictured with Assistant S&C coach at Northwestern State Universty, USA.

At the time, I may not have realised it but starting to play football at the SSA helped me immensely as it provided me with a strong coaching foundation that was not easily attainable in India at the time to due a lack of quality coaches at the grass root level. Bill Adams who is the director of the SSA is a very good coach and does an extremely good job of providing young kids with a proper football education. I was very luck to have been coached by him at an early age as I was encouraged to adopt good football habits, which were not provided by the normal sports teachers.

What were some of the main things that helped your transformation at Super Soccer Academy, from being one of the “worst players” (in your own words) to one of the best who went on to play for two of the biggest names in the I-League (also trained with JCT)?

I would say that Bill Adam’s coaching provided me a strong football foundation, which helped me tremendously later on. I was not a naturally gifted player, however through hard work and perseverance, I developed the skills required to play at the professional level. My time in England prior to playing for Mahindra definitely helped me as well as I was exposed to a much higher level of football than I was previously used to applying at. Playing in England also helped me become a much more aggressive player which I believe is very important in modern football. I also learned how to keep my self fit by adopting proper nutrition and recovery techniques which I also found help me to progress. I worked hard to build upon my strengths and therefore, being fairly tall I insured that I paid extra attention to developing myself physically.

What are some of the highpoints that you remember about your stint with Mahindra and Mohammadan Sporting? What position did you play for them?

I played mainly as a right winger for Mahindra. For Mohammedan sporting I played as a right back, which suited me better due the physical nature of my game. My debut for Mahindra in the Mumbai League would probably be one of the high points as a footballer.

Can you tell us a little bit about life as a player in the I-League? What kind of hotels did you stay in, did either of these two clubs have a dietician, their own gym, the level of coaching, training etc.?

Being a professional footballer was definitely hard work but something that I enjoyed immensely. I was doing something that I had always wanted to do. In terms of the facilities, the hotels we stayed in were clean and comfortable to the large part but due to the lack of funds in the Indian game the basic amenities provided were not comparable to those provided by pro-teams in Europe. However, I believe over the past few years the facilities provided to players have drastically improved which is only a good thing. The training pitches were of a reasonable standard. However, in the monsoon the conditions were poor and this resulted in high injury rates. Apart from the coaches there were no proper support staff such as a nutritionist, qualified physiolotherapist or strength and conditioning/fitness coach. Mahindra had a small gym that consisted of a few weight machines and some free weights but far from what is required in a professional club. At Mohameddan, we used a private gym close to the training ground that was of a better standard. However, neither team had a proper strength training programme in place for the physical development of it’s players.

In terms of the coaching, Derrick Perriera and Subhas Bhowmick who were the coaches I played under at Mahindra and Mohemmedan Sporting, respectively, were both very experienced coaches and used the most up to date training methods.

How did your move to England come about after your 10^th.grade board exams? Did you carry on playing football in the UK? What was the skill level that you came across in the UK and how did you adjust to the game?

My move to the UK was primarily to develop my football career. I was fortunate enough to gain admission into a Sports College called Worchester Sixth Form College which had a football academy. The academy had numerous players who had previously been on the books of various pro teams and therefore I was exposed to a very high level of football. Through my coach at the academy I was also able to play for the under 18 team of a club called Pershore Town F.C.

The style of play in the UK as you will know is far more physical apart from being more technically and tactically advanced than in India. To be honest, the pace of the game was a bit of a shock initially as the time one had on the ball was a lot less and great emphasis was put on tackling and putting pressure on ones opponents. But with some extra effort I soon became accustomed to the style of play.

In 2008, during your BSc Sport Sciences Degree you returned to India for stint at the Mahesh Bhupati Team Tennis (MBTT) Academy? What kind of things did you initiate at this academy?

UCLA Strength and Conditioning interns- 2010

I worked for MBTT at the end of finishing my first year at University. We have 3 month summer breaks which is the perfect time to gain applied experience and put the theoretical knowledge learnt in the class room into practice. I spent a month at the European Institute of Fitness in Javea, Spain, where I completed a Diploma in Fitness Training. After this I was offered a job to work at MBTT for a period of two months.

At MBTT, I was in-charge of the strength and conditioning for a few national level tennis players aged 12-15 years. The training revolved around improving tennis specific fitness parameters. I tried to make the most of my time there by paying extra attention to teaching correct running mechanics and encouraging proper nutritional habits.

Currently, you are enrolled in a MSc in Strength and Conditioning at the University of Edinburgh. What does your programme entail?

During my undergraduate degree which was a BSc in Sports Sciences, I studied Exercise Physiology, Sports Bio-Mechanics and Sports Psychology. My MSc is a carry over from my undergraduate work with a focus on the physical and physiological preparation of elite athletes. The programme gives us the opportunity to study the latest research based approaches to improve the physical performance of athletes from a scientific point of view.

Have you followed much of Indian Football ever since you left India? What are your impressions of the game and do you think club football has moved forward?

I look up the latest happenings in Indian Football every now and again. Whenever I am in Delhi and there is any Football on at the Ambedkar Stadium I make it a point to go and watch and catch up with players I had previously played with. I definitely think club football in India has improved greatly from what I hear in the news as well as from players that I am in touch with. I think the facilities being provided to players and playing surfaces is a lot better now than it was a few years ago.

The only thing that I feel is being overlooked in Indian Football is the inclusion of Sports Science in not only football but in most spots in India. This is something that pro-teams in the UK have focused hugely on to gain that extra edge in highly competitive environment where every little bit of an advantage makes a huge difference in terms of the outcome. I feel Indian Football players are technically quite good and there a numerous players who are very gifted technically. However, the problem lies in the physical side of things. This is primarily down to the lack of Sports Science present in Indian football, which prevents Indian footballers from getting the correct physical training and nutritional advice from a young age. After having completed my degree in Sports Sciences and having worked in the strength and conditioning department of collegiate sports programs in the USA such as UCLA (University of California Los Angeles), I feel that physical training and nutritional advice provided to Indian athletes is a bit to be desired. I honestly believe if more attention was paid to making Indian footballers better athletes who are faster, stronger and aerobically fitter, Indian Football would definitely move forward a lot faster.

Mahindra United

Pro teams in the UK all higher sports scientists and strength and conditioning coach’s who go to the extent of monitoring the hearts rates, distance covered and hydration status of every player during each training session through the season to ensure that they are in the best possible physical condition. Such attention to detail is required to develop elite footballers.

Can you give us your thoughts on British Asian footballers please? Why has the UK not seen a genuine, break through player of Asian origin yet? I think the problem lies with lack participation of British-Asian players in the game. There are a large number of very talented British-Asians who play the game but the majority of them choose to play for British Asian teams and often in British Asian leagues. Therefore the chances of being spotted by pro-teams are a lot less. I am aware that there are a few players playing professionally but the numbers playing at grass root levels has to increase for even one to make the first team of Premier league team let alone the full England team!

Many thanks for making time and speaking to us.