Month: December 2015 (page 1 of 2)

Sport for Its Own Sake

Free, self-organised play was one of the things that made our childhood so, so special. As children in India, especially in large housing complexes, we’ve probably all heard our parents screaming from our balconies summoning us for homework, meals and what have you. But the joy of playing lagoree, dodge ball, dabba ice-spice, chor-police, lock and key, and then heading out to the neighbourhood grocery store to pool in money and share a treat is something no amount of money, classes and coaching can ever buy. Here’s to a 2016 filled with hours of free play for our children!

Bobby Orr, legendary Canadian ice hockey player, says it best…

Bobby Orr Quote on Free Play

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Activity Breakdown of a Football Match

We came across this fantastic breakdown of activities that occur during a football match presented by Ray Power, author of Making the Ball Roll – A Complete Guide to Youth Football for the Aspiring Coach, and it holds several insights for grassroots coaches on how to train our young footballers.

Football Game Activity Breakdown

Football Game Activity Breakdown
Source: Ray Power

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Goals for Girls Visits India

Goals for Girls Logo

In great news for girls football, US-based Goals for Girls (G4G), an organisation that involves girls helping girls through football, will be visiting New Delhi from 5-8 January, 2016. Organised by Anglian Football, India will be hosting its 2nd Goal for Girls Summit this year.

During the summit, 18 girls from Triangle United in Chapel Hill, North Carolina will spend time with over 160 girls from across India over a 4-day leadership program. To be conducted at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi, G4G will utilise the summit to spread the passion for the game among girls while using football as a medium to develop life skills that will help participants on and off the pitch. The broad idea is to give the girls who come from various backgrounds a voice and a self-defined identity.

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Eggs & Football

A story that truly resonates with grassroots football. Do you identify with it? We certainly do!

Eggs and Football

U15 Youth League Week 8

The action is heating up in the Hero U15 Youth League with just a handful of games left to be played in Groups A, B & C, Group D just underway and Groups E & F expected to start in January 2016. Here are all the Week 8 results from across the country:

GFI U15 Youth League - Week 8

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Shillong Lajong FC Roll Out Grassroots Program

SLFC Grassroots Festival 1

Celebrating the grassroots festival at Malki Ground
Source: SLFC Website

One of the biggest complaints that Indian football fans have is that professional football clubs, neither ISL nor I-League, seldom invest enough into their community and grassroots programs. However, goaded by the AIFF and Technical Director, Scott O’Donell, it is the I-League clubs in particular that are beginning to show the way forward. While Pune FC and Bengaluru FC have among the best community and grassroots programs in India run by professional clubs, it is encouraging to see others like Mumbai FC and Shillong Lajong FC (SLFC) reaching out.

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To All the Grassroots Coaches Out There

Our thoughts, our words, our actions make a huge difference and we enjoy a special privilege – one where we can impact young lives on an every day basis. We shouldn’t see ourselves as anything less than that. Here’s something to remind you of that fact. We guarantee you, it will be 16 minutes and 17 seconds of your life well spent.

 

Spot the Difference

Ball Size and Weight 1

Spot the difference?
Source: UAE Coaches Forum

We’re not colour blind, so ‘They are different colours’ is definitely the wrong answer.

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From Anantapur to the I-League

ASA I-League Preparation Camp

Mahogany FC Boys During Training at ASV
Source: ASA

With inputs provided by Maxon Sequeira

Over the last few months, we’ve had the opportunity to track the good work that Rural Development Trust (RDT) has been doing for football in Anantapur and neighbouring areas in Andhra Pradesh. Under the watchful eyes of Head Coach, Miquel Llado, the boys from Anantapur have been putting in the hard yards in training and it is nice to see that their efforts are gradually bearing fruit.

As testament to their progress, Anantapur Sports Academy’s (ASA) senior-most player, S Bhaskar Reddy, is already playing in the 2nd Division I-League club representing Fateh Hyderabad AFC. Not only that, several of the boys from Anantapur Sports Academy (ASA) have been selected to play for Fateh Hyderabad AFC’s youth teams in the  U18 I-League and U15 Youth League. To help the boys prepare well for the leagues, Anantapur Sports Village (ASV) Football Academy hosted an exchange camp with two teams – Mahogany FC from Chennai and Ozone FC from Bengaluru earlier in December.

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U15 Youth League Weeks 6 & 7

There’s been so much action in the Hero U15 Youth League over the last couple of weeks that we’ve barely been able to keep pace with the developments! Here’s a quick summary of the results from weeks 6 and 7 from around the country:

GFI U15 Youth League - Week 6 and 7

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