Interview with Inderjeet Singh Aujla: I really felt let down by the club

This is a story about a young second generation British-Indian Inderjeet Singh Aujla. He seems to embody the spirit of his favourite saying, “If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger”. Here is a young man who, at the age of 24, was a manager and captain of his club side in Belgium and currently happens to be on the PFA Transfer List and actively looking for a full time gig with a professional team. Indy currently plays for Frickley athletic, a semi-pro club in the UK.

Please tell us about your family

I had a very enjoyable childhood. I remember playing on the streets with friends until late. Football was the main thing, but we also played cricket and other sports. Of course, I got into a bit of mischief like all children do, but I was lucky. I had a very close family around me which kept me in check. My grandparents came to Bradford from Punjab in the 1950′s. They worked very hard in the foundries and factories of north England and to raise a family in a foreign country. I am very proud of my ancestry and the same work ethic and values have been passed down to me.

Did you just play football while growing up?

No, we played all sports growing up, but I realized from an early age that I was better than all the other kids in the neighborhood at football. I always played street football, but it wasn’t until 9 years old that I went for a trial with a local club. My ball control was much better than the kids at the club due to playing on the streets, however positioning and being a team player were things I had to learn and develop.

Tell us about your stint at the Bradford City Academy. How long were you there?

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Bradford City Football Club from the age of 12-18 years. Getting professional coaching and advice as a young player was brilliant. I was always taught as a child to listen and take on board constructive criticism from my parents and every one, especially from my father who played football at an amateur level.

My upbringing helped in me developing as a player and I went from strength to strength at Bradford City. I left school at 16 and signed full-time at Bradford City. I was playing in the reserve team at 16 years old and even won the young player of the year award. To my surprise, I was released a year later. 7 players in my year were offered a professional contract and 3 were released included myself. It really “knocked me for a 6″. However, dealing with success and failure is a part of football. 90% of players get released as some point of their careers, so experiencing it at a young age made me mentally tougher and am able to deal with situations better in later years.

You also came over to East Bengal to have a trial when you were quite young. How did that go?

I had the opportunity in the pre-season of 2008 to train with East Bengal FC. I really wanted to experience training in a different climate, culture, and country. It really opened my eyes that there is talent in India but the coaching/infrastructure just isn’t right to develop football players. I could only compare to professional clubs in Europe, and it was backwards compared to the level of coaching/education we received. The fan base at East Bengal FC was huge, and the club was treated like a temple.

I really enjoyed my summer in Kolkata but at the time staying and playing my football just wasn’t the right move for me. I had an opportunity to pursue my playing career and a full scholarship in the United States. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse and opted to go out there. Now I’m a little older I wouldn’t rule out playing in India, if the opportunity came up I would definitely consider it.

What position do you normally play?

I’ve played as a right back/central midfield player/left back/right midfielder and even centre half other the years lol.

I prefer to be playing as a central midfield player or a right back. Experience in other positions has made me a versatile player which has been great for my development. Now I’m more of a well rounded player. I love central midfield, I’m quick and strong and I like to take control of the game. My strengths are in my passing and vision. I love to compete as well so in midfield I’m a bit of an action man and get stuck in as well as play. Learning my trade in England, one of the first things we have been bought up to do is to first and foremost compete and earn the right to play and that’s stayed with me even when I’ve played in more technical countries like Belgium.

As a right back, I can defend as well as attack. I enjoy overlapping and putting crosses into the box. One second you can be timing a crunching tackle against your winger, the next up the field creating a goal scoring opportunity.

How did you deal with the dis-appointment of not being offered a full time contract with the regular team at Bradford?

Getting the young player of the year award was fantastic. Especially being from an Asian background, to come up through the ranks at my hometown club and to get recognition was a great feeling. I was very proud as were my family and a lot of other people in the community. Everybody in Bradford wanted to see an Asian face at the football club. Being told I wasn’t offered another contract was one of the worst things I have experienced in my life.

I really felt let down by the club. So did my family and the community. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger and this disappointment made me twice as determined to succeed in the game.

How did the opportunity in the United States come about and how did you find the playing standard there?

Playing out in the States on a full scholarship was brilliant for me. It really developed the physical side of my game. The US is very forward thinking in physical training compared to England. It’s slowly catching up, especially at the bigger clubs in the country with clubs employing nutrition and conditioning coaches.

I learnt many new techniques, especially from other sports including basketball and American football. Plyometric training and yoga really improved my leap and flexibility and in turn helps prevent injuries, prolonging a player’s career. I was enjoying my time on and off the field. We won state and district finals and got to national finals in Arizona in 2008.

I also got into the all state and district teams both years I played at CCBC Essex. I was studying psychology. Being back in the classroom was a bit of a shock at first but grades had to be maintained in order to play so that was good enough incentive to get my head down and work hard. After 2 years at CCBC Essex, I was wanted by a number of NCAA Division 1 and 2 teams.

Unfortunately, the NCAA didn’t allow me to complete my final 2 years. The professional experience before going out to the States playing for Bradford City, Chester City, and a bit in non-league went against me and I was only allowed 2 years eligibility overall which I had played for CCBC Essex. If I was aware of this was going to happen I don’t think I would have gone out in the first place.

But that’s hindsight. It was a huge blow. I had plans to complete 4 years playing, 5 years on total to obtain the full degree in psychology, and I would have been issued a green card after 5 years so it would have made life much easier when being drafted into the pro game. I really felt that in the US, recognition and opportunities are given on merit for athletes, and the draft system exemplifies this.

In comparison, in England the sports industry seems to be a tight circle, especially football. A lot depends on who you know. The NCAA’s decision based on my playing history was heartbreaking at the time, however I started to believe things happen for a reason and once again had to deal with a disappointment.

Where did you go to play after you came back to England from the US?

In returning to England from the US, I signed for Garforth Town, a semi-pro team close to Leeds. I played 25 games for the club in central midfield, and a UK scout for RRFC Montegnee in Belgium contacted asking if I would be interested in going on trial for the club. I went out on trial with the club and impressed the coaching staff and was offered a 2year deal with the club.

I quickly adapted to the more technical style in Belgium and played in a right-back position. I became a bit of a fan favourite with my determined and energetic play and was made Club Captain in my second season. With the departure of the manager in February 2012, the president of the club rang me from Panama and asked if I wanted to take over as player/manager until the end of the 2012 season. He had visited the club regularly from Panama and had got to know me well. He thought I was the right person for the job and it was an offer I couldn’t refuse and the experience I gained was great. I saw the game from a different angle and it has improved me more as a player. I realized the manager before adopted a dictatorship approach in his management style and with the players we had, it didn’t work. I thought that more of a democratic approach would be better and with the player’ having a bit more of a responsibility in and around the club, I saw an improvement in their performances and the team finished stronger in the last part of the season.

What made you move from Belgium? Where are you playing currently?

I was offered the job to in Belgium for the next season but I had a good chat with the president and explained management is not in my plans right now at 24 years old. I want to pursue my playing career only. With the budget dropped for the coming season and the club going from full-time to part-time, I opted to move back to England with my parents.

I’m currently playing for a Semi-Pro team in the Evo-Stick Premier League Frickley Athletic. It was very difficult to get fixed up at a full-time club in England this summer with 600 players out of contract, including myself. I’m still on the PFA transfer list and actively looking to get back full-time, but for now I’m playing regularly in a good shop window in central midfield. I have got myself on the score-sheet with a few goals already and we are having a good FA cup run. So hopefully, we can draw a big club and get some good exposure from that.

Why has there not been a “break-out” Asian player from the UK?

Well there are a few factors.

I’ve always felt that I’ve had to work twice as hard as other players in England at all levels! You can look at this from a few angles. I choose to see it on the positive side and with this mentality I’ve had to adopt from a child, I’ve always the hardest working player at every club I’ve played at. First one into training and last one out and that’s not a bad thing! It’s not just football, it’s society as well. My grandparents came here as outsiders and had to work extremely hard in physically demanding jobs because a lot of the English men and women didn’t want to do the jobs. It shouldn’t be like that in any line of work in this day and age. I am a 2nd generation Indian, but in football clubs we don’t see any Asian coaches/managers/directors/kit men/grounds men/liason officers etc. Therefore, I am still looked at as a bit of an outsider.

Players of black origin were once seen as outsiders in English football terms. But with the breakthroughs over time, they came through into the game and now it’s a household thing. However, they were firstly seen as athletes with a lot of them being physically quicker, stronger than most English players. After that, they were seen as being utilized by the managers for their athletic abilities, then they were allowed to be assed on there skill and technical ability in the game.

Asian players have been sometimes perceived with the glass half empty in terms of physicality due to myth about them eating curry all the time. I eat more pasta and fresh meat than curry, and most footballers understand they have too look after their bodies whether they are Black, White or Asian. I do pilates, yoga, strength and conditioning work as well as my football training. An athlete can be made. Through training, we can all be a yard quicker, stronger in the tackle, jump higher. I believe Asian players have a gift of technical ability and tactical intelligence and with a great work ethic. But if all that is going to be overlooked from first impressions, then the game is at a loss and players that have worked so hard like myself could potentially fall by the way side. I am proud of being English and my English roots, but I think we have some distance to go when it comes to opportunities in football for every one.

I don’t think it’s a co-incidence I became club captain, then player/manager in Belgium. I don’t think that would happen at most clubs in England. I was never seen as an Asian, or Indian player in Belgium. I was just an English foreigner and I was assessed only on my abilities in Belgium and was able to flourish. There is definitely an un-tapped market in England.

But Asian players need to understand it is the toughest career in the world. Hard-work does not guarantee anything in this game. The level of competition in the pro and semi pro game is extremely high and luck has a big part in a player becoming successful in the game.