Month: February 2016 (page 1 of 2)

Season 2 of Chennai’s Schools Premier League Kicks Off

The impact of Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga broadcasts on cable television combined with the growing influence of the two-year-old Indian Super League have been instrumental in bringing football into India’s consciousness. Today, everybody from school children to office-going senior executives are enjoying a kickabout at the numerous 5-a-side football turfs popping up all over the country. Interestingly, football has captured the imagination of people in regions where it has traditionally played second fiddle to cricket.

In this context, it is encouraging to see greater numbers of grassroots programs taking off in cities like Chennai, home of defending ISL champs, Chennaiyin FC. The latest boost to grassroots football in Chennai has come from the launch of Schools Premier League – Season 2, which has been graciously sponsored by Radiance Developers. Started in 2014, this year’s league features 16 school teams split into two groups. All schools in a group will play each other once and the top two teams from each group go on to qualify for the semi-finals.

Schools Premier League Launch 1

Celebrating the start of SPL – Season 2
Source: Chennaiyin FC Facebook

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#NeverGiveUp

Baby Learning to Walk

Chhetri to Kick-Off Nationwide Talent Hunt

Paul Breitner, legendary German World Cup winner, recently spoke about how India could become a powerful footballing country in a couple of decades. While people may have scoffed or laughed at him, claiming that India’s forte is cricket or hockey, it’s important to remember that football is going through quite a transition in the country. Today’s youth watch the Premier League and Champions League like it’s going out of style, and the ISL has gripped audiences of all ages. So, maybe there is a bit of truth in the ex-German footballer’s prediction.

Doing his bit is Indian football captain, Sunil Chhetri, who is working on developing the sport in the country. One of only 3 footballers from the subcontinent to play abroad, Chhetri is sure to give the youth some valuable input on what they can do to become better and play better. His stint at Sporting Clube de Portugal (better known as Sporting Lisbon) in 2012 gave a ray of hope to aspiring footballers in India, letting them know that one day they too can play in the big leagues. Although Chhetri did not spend a lot of time with the Primeira Liga team, he’s partnered with them again to do something far more interesting.

The national captain has been named brand ambassador of an initiative called DreamChasers, which has him going on a nation-wide hunt to find 15 talented youngsters between the ages of 8 and 14. After 15 days of scouting across 9 cities, the selected youth will be shifted to the Dr. Cyrus Poonawala International School in Kolhapur, where they will train under top-class coaches and technical experts from Sporting Lisbon.

Sunil Chhetri Sporting Lisbon

Sunil Chhetri Playing with Sporting Clube de Portugal
Source: Sunil Chhetri Facebook Page

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U15 Youth League – The Zonal Phase Ends

On Friday, the U15 Youth League zonal phase came to an end. The final12 matches were played over 4 days last week, and here’s a quick look at the scores:

I League U15 Group A Results Week 2

 

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1st Mumbai FC Masters League Season Ends on a High

After 6 weeks, the inaugural season of Mumbai FC Masters League supported by the MDFA came to an end yesterday. Over the past few weekends, more than 1700 children from over 40 different schools and 30 academies played football at three venues all over Mumbai. Matches were held at Andheri Sports Complex, St Xaviers Ground, Parel, and Kick Football Turf in Powai.

Mumbai FC worked together with the Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA) and For Young Indians (FYI) Sports to give the youth of the city a chance to play football competitively. Mumbai FC also used the league as a way to scout talented youth that they could train for their own youth teams. At the end of the league, 15 students from each age category (U8 boys, U10 boys, U12 boys, U14 girls and U14 boys) will be chosen to train with Mumbai FC for a whole year for free. As an open league, there were schools, academies and even NGOs who participated, with schools like Don Bosco and St. Pauls, and academies like Mumbai Sporting and Christ Academy sending in numerous teams.

U8 Boys Final

St. Pauls play Millat FC in the U8 Finals

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Innovative Ways to Develop Coordination in Kids

Lauri Pihkala, a Finnish coach, and one of the first people to receive an honorary doctorate in Sport Sciences, once said something that holds true even today. He said: “Boys, don’t be in a hurry to join the men.”

Simply put, it’s important that we let children be children, and don’t rush them into becoming the world’s best football player at the tender age of 7. Kids need to be given the time and space they need to be able to master their physical coordination skills. They need to learn how to balance themselves properly while playing sport. For children between the ages of 4 and 8 especially, motor skills, balance, posture, spatial reasoning and agility are far more important than learning how to actually bend a ball like Beckham.

As coaches and parents, we sometimes forget that kids just want to play a sport for fun, or to learn, and we end up trying to teach them skills that they are far too young for, because we want to see them win. Kids need to master their bodies before they master any sport. While standing on one foot for at least 10 seconds, or using the agility ladder are common methods of helping kids develop their physical coordination, it can sometimes be boring and quite gruelling for the kids. Here’s how some youth trainers use exercise balls and balloons to teach kids the same kind of skills while making sure they have some fun!

PARA TODOS LOS QUE TRABAJAN EN LA PRIMERA FASE DE INICIACION (4-8 Años)Trabajo de psicomotricidad, equilibrio, postura corporal, localización espacial, aspectos coordinativos… Ejercicios estáticos o dinámicos que cultivan la conciencia del propio cuerpo y de la relajación de los músculos, con el fin de mejorar la postura y la coordinación de movimientos. ¿Qué os parece esta propuesta de sesión?A mi me parece espectacular!! Si un niño no es capaz de dominar su cuerpo…¿Cómo va a dominar el balón? Por eso hago tanto hincapié en estas edades en la realización de estos tipos de trabajos. Os invito a probarlo con vuestros niños y que nos cuenten como les ha funcionado. Un abrazo amigos, que paséis buen fin de semana!!!!! 😉

Posted by Agustin Lleida – Preparador Fisico Club Pachuca on Friday, February 12, 2016

Anantapur U18 Girls League Is A Huge Success

In December 2015, Rural Development Trust’s (RDT) Anantapur Sports Academy (ASA) kicked off the first ever Anantapur Football League (AFL) for girls. Although the Girls AFL came to an end in the first week of February 2016, the initiative has given girls and young women in Anantapur a definitive and bright future in football in India.

In the group stages, each team had to play six games, with the top two teams in each group qualifying for the knock-out round to be played at ASA’s Anantapur Sports Village (ASV). The knock-out stage was scheduled in such a way, that the matches ended well before the athletes needed to prepare for their end-of-year exams. This meant that the players, their parents, coaches, and team managers could focus enough attention on the sport, without having to constantly worry about exam woes.

AFL Girls Final

Action from the 1st AFL Girls Final between Atmakur & Kalyandurg
Source: ASA

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Mumbai City FC & AIFF Conduct Grassroots Leadership Workshop

Mumbai City FC joined hands with AIFF to conduct a grassroots leadership workshop from 5th to 7th February at the Vidyadhiraja School and Junior College in Bhandup, Mumbai. A total of 27 participants attended the three-day workshop with girls comprising nearly 50% of the group. The workshop, headed by chief instructor, Dinesh Nair, included both theoretical as well as practical sessions, and on the last day, the participants organised a grassroots festival.

Grassroots Workshop Theory Session

Participants in a Theory Session
Source: Mumbai City FC Facebook Page

Numerous participants were from the host school itself, and as part of the theory sessions, they learnt about grassroots philosophy, the importance of small-sided games, characteristics of age groups, fair play and racism, coordination agility and motor skills, football laws and fundamentals, as well as management and injury prevention techniques.

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Giving Children Responsibility

If there is one massive issue that we face at grassroots, certainly in India,  it is that kids turn up for football training often bringing along an entourage – a parent who will merely accompany, a nanny who will be lugging all forms of munchies, beverages, ‘dirty’ cleats and a change of clothes, a driver who will bustle along just in case there is more help needed, and, on the odd day, a doting grandparent.

Independent Footballer Child India

Photo Credit: Diptendu Dutta

Don’t get us wrong. We are all for parent participation and support from family, but the thing we find really disappointing is how children are not allowed to do anything for themselves. Whether it is carrying their sports kit, putting on shoes, tying the laces, cleaning the boots, combing their own hair… it’s like the children don’t have minds and hands of their own! And unlike what parents and guardians may think, this is THE greatest disservice you are doing to your child.

Here’s a fantastic video, sorry an 8-minute education, that should be made compulsory viewing for parents and guardians all over the world:

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FC Bayern U16 Youth Cup: From Mumbai to Munich

A tightly contested match between Mumbai’s Cathedral and John Connon School and Delhi’s Nalanda Public School brought the curtains down on the adidas FC Bayern Youth Cup India 2016 in Mumbai yesterday.

Bayern Youth Cup Match

The Teams Playing Hard for a Chance to Represent India

After 30 minutes of regulation time and extra-time yielded no goals in the final, the winner was decided by a penalty shootout. Rishi Kothari, Cathedral’s keeper, made some fabulous saves to ensure his school came out on top and will now represent India at the World Finals in Munich in May 2016. Better still, they will get a chance to watch a Bundesliga match at the legendary Allianz Arena! Other youth who stood out during the tournament were Akshunna Tyagi from Nalanda Public School who won the Player of the Delhi NCR Leg award, Krish from St. Lawrence who won the Player of the Mumbai Leg award, and Mundhiir from Treamis World School who won the Player of the Bengaluru Leg award.

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