Category: Schools & Academies (page 1 of 4)

Bengaluru FC Announces Launch of Residential Academy

July 18, 2016 / / 6 Comments

As a part of their endeavour to promote elite football talents and train players from a young age, Bengaluru FC hosted a press conference earlier this week to announce their plans of setting up a residential academy at the JSW Township in Vijayanagar, Bellary. COO Mustafa Ghouse, CTO Mandar Tamhane and newly appointed Head of Youth Development, John Kila, spoke to the press from the club’s offices at Bangalore Football Stadium.

Bengaluru FC PressCon

JSW Bengaluru FC CTO Mandar Tamhane, Head of Youth Development John Kila, and COO Mustafa Ghouse
Source: Bengaluru FC Media

The club will scout for talent in Bengaluru, Kerala, Mizoram, Punjab and Chandigarh. Currently, they are only looking for youth in the Under-16 and Under-18 age categories. Those players who display exceptional talent during the first round of trials will be shortlisted, and will have to undergo a final selection, before the chosen candidates will relocate to the academy in Vijayanagar. At the academy, the selected youth will be provided with accommodation, education and nutrition at no cost with this fully-funded youth development programme overseen by Dutchman, John Kila.

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AFC Grassroots Football Day 2016: India Highlights

June 14, 2016 / / 2 Comments

On May 15th, 2016, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) celebrated a very successful Grassroots Football Day. A number of member associations joined in the festivities, and India was not to be left out. Over the course of the day, numerous football festivals were held across the country, and impacted well over 10,000 young children. From New Delhi to Anantapur, and Manipur to Punjab, over 100 districts celebrated the joys of grassroots football.

Grassroots Football Day Registrations

Signing Up for AFC Grassroots Football Day
Source: ASA

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Tiki-Taka in Anantapur: Football Summer Camp 2016

June 10, 2016 / / 0 Comments

With recent exposure to the I-League youth competition and visits from international players like Jofre Mateu, football has been on the rise in Anantapur. After a very progressive season, Anantapur Sports Academy (ASA) kicked off their annual summer football camp on May 1st. Held in collaboration with Spanish football club C. F. Santvicenti, the camp created an air of excitement amongst the kids and coaches, like it does every year. M P Ricard returned to this year’s ASA football summer camp for the third consecutive year to enjoy yet another immersive and educative experience with the children in Anantapur .

ASA Camp Team

The Team Before Kick-Off
Source: ASA

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The Mutineers Debut Tornado Tournament – From Awadh to Delhi

June 7, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Based out of Akbarpur in the Ambedkar Nagar district in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, the Awadh Mutineers’ story is as heart-warming as it is inspirational. Founded back in 2013, the Mutineers is Akbarpur’s only club. It was founded with the aim of promoting football in these parts, and to provide sports training and education to kids belonging to underprivileged backgrounds.

Over the course of two years, the club has fully supported the education and football training of twenty kids from different families across the city. Over this time, the children have gradually improved in the sport, and have even tasted success in local matches. This year however, the management felt it was time to test their talents outside of their hometown, and what better place for the next chapter of their story than the capital city of Delhi. The boys had never travelled outside their village, but being the confident and determined bunch that they are, they couldn’t wait!

Awadh Mutineers

The Awadh Mutineers
Source: Awadh Mutineers

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All Set for Season 2 of the Reliance Foundation Young Champs Program

April 1, 2016 / / 3 Comments

Apart from popularising football in the country, the Indian Super League (ISL) is doing a good job of encouraging clubs to invest in grassroots football. In 2015, the Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) initiative was kick-started as part of the ISL’s grassroots programme. The RFYC Program makes use of the ISL’s clubs’ grassroots initiatives to spot talented children from across the country between the ages of 11 and 14. The Foundation then offers the most talented and deserving children full-time residential scholarships to the Reliance Foundation School.

ATK RFYC Scouting

The RFYC Scouts with the Talents Picked by Atletico de Kolkata
Source: Indian Super League

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Atletico Madrid Coaches in Kolkata for ATK Academy Trials

March 31, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Champions of the Indian Super League’s (ISLs) inaugural season, Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) have done splendid work over the past two years in promoting grassroots football in the city.  In 2015 they brought West Bengal’s Indian Football Association’s (IFA) Nursery League back to life. Although their second run in the league was not as successful as the first, the club is still doing what they can for the sport. Co-owners, Sanjiv Goenka and Utsav Parekh are both focused on setting up a football academy in the city and promoting the sport. At their proposed academy, bright young stars can focus on football training while continuing with their academics as well.

ATK Grassroots Youth

Eager Youth Attend ATK’s Grassroots Initiatives
Source: Atletico de Kolkata Facebook Page

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Swati Salgaocar Follows in Her Grandfather’s Footsteps

March 23, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Based in Vasco in football-crazy Goa, Salgaocar FC has been around since 1956. The club was founded by Vasudev Salgaocar, the founder and President of the V M Salgaocar Group of Companies. Passionate about the sport, Mr. Salgaocar decided to form the club to give local youth a platform where they could showcase their talents. After Goa’s independence from Portugal in 1961, Salgaocar was the first Goan team invited to participate in the prestigious Durand Cup in 1962. Although they did not win, they performed so well that the then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, felicitated the team at his residence.

Salgaocar FC

Salgaocar FC’s First Team
Source: Salgaocar Football Club Facebook Page

In the 1990s, the team went from strength to strength, winning everything from the National League to the Federation Cup. Although, they didn’t perform as well in the early 2000s, they made a hugely successful comeback in the 2010-2011 season by winning the I-League once again. This season, their U-15 team ended the zonal round of the U15 Youth League at the top of the table. They were the only team in the group to end with a positive goal difference, finishing 5 points clear of the runners-up. And they managed all of this by making sure they invested well in their grassroots programme.

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Boca Juniors Football School Comes to Mumbai

March 17, 2016 / / 2 Comments

A product of one of Argentina’s most successful football clubs, Club Atletico Boca Juniors, the Boca Juniors Football School came to India in 2013. Home to legendary footballers like Diego Maradona, Carlos Tevez and Gabriel Batistuta, Boca Juniors was the first South American club to launch in India. Over the past 3 years they have operated in 6 schools across Bangalore, and their youth participated in this season’s U15 I-League tournament.

Maradona at Boca

Maradona Celebrates a Goal for Boca Juniors in 1981
Source: The Antique Football

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The Biggest Football School in the World

March 16, 2016 / / 2 Comments

An $185 million investment. 160 acres. 50 football pitches. A partnership with Real Madrid. Hogwarts-style buildings. 2,600 boys. 200 girls. And it was all built in 10 months. Welcome to Evergrande Football School in Qingyuan, Guangdong (rural southern China).

Evergrande Football School

Kids training at Evergrande Football School, China 
Source: www.thestar.com

Driven by Chinese President, Xi Jinping’s passion for football, Evergrande Football School is symbolic of how far ahead China has gone ahead of India in the effort to nurture grassroots talent. Their goal is to have China compete at the World Cup again (after 2012) and, who knows, even challenge traditional powerhouses like Germany, Argentina and Brazil in the years to come.

Looks a brilliant facility. Wonder when we’ll have something like it in India…

Read more about Evergrande Football School in this fantastic piece by Jonathan Stayton  (don’t miss the video!)

FC Goa’s Jofre Conducts Football Camp in Anantapur

March 7, 2016 / / 3 Comments

It has been a highly promising football season for the Anantapur Sports Academy (ASA), capped by the performance of the U15 and U18 teams. These teams have shown great promise, playing for a professional I-League team, Fateh Hyderabad AFC. They eventually brought back goodwill to the Rural Development Trust’s (RDT) investment, and have promoted its objective of inculcating a sporting and footballing culture among the youth in the Anantapur District.

Seeing the spark that these youngsters have rekindled in football in Anantapur, the ASA has decided to reach out to more children. This time however, they believe that they need to nurture younger talent to reach their objective. They are looking to broaden the ASA football programme by bringing children in the U11, U13 and U15 categories on board at the residential academy. For this they roped in professional assistance in the form of Spaniard Jofre Mateu Gonzalez, a highly popular household name, and one of the most successful foreign players in the Indian Super League. Jofre Mateu won the inaugural 2014 ISL season with Atletico de Kolkata and was a part of FC Goa, the runners-up in the 2015 season.

Jofre Mateu Gonzalez

Jofre Mateu Gonzalez
Source: FC Goa Facebook Page

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