Dad played for top football clubs, Gurnaz named in U16 India squad

Chandigarh: When he started playing football at Khalsa School’s ground in Punjab’s rustic Sirhind town in the 1980s, Jaspreet Singh, then a teenager, did not think his family would one day be creating a dynasty of sorts in the sport.Having played for JCT FC (1995-1998), Mumbai FC (1995-2000) and Churchill Brothers FC Goa (2001-2002), Jaspreet, a Punjab Police officer now, was a proud father on Tuesday, as his youngest daughter, Gurnaz Kaur, made it to India’s 23-member squad for SAFF U16 Women's Championship. His eldest daughter, Harmilan Kaur (20), plays for Gokulam Kerala FC. “Both my daughters would see me playing football when they were kids and made me teach them football,” he says.So, after work every day, Jaspreet would teach football to Harmilan and Gurnaz in the evening. While Gurnaz is yet to play an India match and has just been selected for the squad, Jaspreet is hoping the lessons he has taught her would keep her in good stead. “She is an exceptional student too. She scored 94% in her Class X exams,” he says.Jaspreet, who quit football for a police job after his father, Sardar Bhupinder Singh, died in 2002, says he received support from his family to play the sport when he was young and he had done the same for his daughters. “Even my brothers Harpreet Singh and Gurwinderjit Singh played university-level football,” he adds.In addition to Gurnaz, another Punjab girl, Gurleen Kaur, has made it to the squad. The India team will open their campaign in the quadrilateral tournament on March 1 against Bhutan.