b'FOOTBALL FOCUSED PAST & PRESENT A CELEBRATION OF SUCCESSESAMMANDEV BAJWAWhat was HGS like in your day? Did you know you wanted to write back then? I cant believe its been about eight years since Ive been back, but I remember it being a really vibrant place. There was never really a dull moment at school, and we always found ways to keep ourselves entertained. Being honest, writing wasnt one of them! I fancied myself as a bit of a goalkeeper before I ruined my trial with the Old Boys squad.What did you do after HGS? ceremony. Without warning, some of my How did you get into the role you have now?favourite childhood heroes walked out: Dida, I went straight into university. in London. MyNesta, Stam, Cafu, Gattuso, Kaka and even mum didnt appreciate that decision at all. I wasPaolo Maldini. That one moment inspired me to a very introverted kid in school and thought Iwrite The Conquerorswhich is now available needed to venture out a bit beyond Birminghamworldwide on Amazon and WHSmith.to figure out who I was. Needless to say, itIf you were a football team which was the best decision Ive ever made. Afterone would you be and why?Brighton university, I went straight into recruitment for a giving youngsters a chance and believing in steady role and have never looked back. Now,unproven talent. I love that ethos.I recruit people to work for Sports Interactivethe gaming studio in charge of making theIf you could go back in time what Football Manager games! So, at least I gotone thing would you change?I had football in there somehow. a very tough time at sixth form. Like I say, I was What influenced you to write thea very introverted young man and never tended book/what led you down thisto stick up for myself very much. Unsurprisingly, particular path?I always thought it wasa lot of people took advantage of that and my something Id never be able to do, and I wantedmental and physical health suffered massively to prove myself wrongbut I just never hadas a result. So, its easy to say that I would the time. Then came the pandemic, and thechange that period of my life, as its something I endless free hours associated with it. I wasdont like to look back on. But considering that never furloughed but I used whatever spareits made me the person I am today, maybe I time I had to put into a book. Which in itself wasshouldnt!inspired by a spiders web conspiracy theory,Advice for aspiring authors?Believe of all things! in your idea and surround yourself with the right Favourite writer/influence/ people. The first person whose opinion I wanted footballer:My favourite writer is betweenon my first book was Ms Brown, because she Jeremy Clarkson and Nige Tasselltwo verynever lied to me. She was always incredibly different styles but inherently chatty. Myhelpful and made sure that I was taking the right favourite football player of all time is easily Ruudsteps forward to improve. We all need that.van Nistelrooy. My dream would be to write aAdvice to students at HGS/or 16 biography with him one day. year old Ammandev:Just give things Best football moment?As aa go, no matter what people think. Because Manchester United fan, there havent been verytrust me: they dont care! So often, we can get many moments to enjoy, but on a personal level,lost in the fear of what people may think of us I often think back to the time where I went tothat we stop doing what we love. I lost sight of watch AC Milan before the pandemic. It wasthat when I was younger and will never do that my first time travellingabroad on my own,again. Now, you can see me posting on TikTok, and likewise toInstagram and wherever I want in a way that watch a gameexpresses myself. Im somehow closing in on outside the UK. Itnearly 500,000 followers across these platforms was an amazingwhich is full of nothing but positivity and self-experience,effacing comedysomething I could never have which coincideddone back in school because of the people who with a 120-yearsaid I shouldnt. Well, they were wrong. And if pre-matchyou find some truth in what Im saying in relation to your life, then trust me: theyre wrong too. Dedication in Ammandevs first bookThe Football Spider Web:To Ms Brown who helped me realise my love for writing, and to my Dad for introducing to me something worth writing about.55'