Tag: Grassroots Academy (page 2 of 2)

One on One with Stevie Grieve

Stevie GrieveGFI had the opportunity to speak with Stevie Grieve, Head of Coaching & Education at Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools (BBFS) and Technical Director at Garhwal FC recently. During the conversation, Stevie shared his views on his journey into football coaching, his assessment of grassroots football in India and what BBFS are doing to positively impact Indian football. This is what he had to say…

GFI: What was the motivation behind getting into coaching?

Stevie: Initially when I was younger, it actually came about when I was playing futsal one night. I was teaching a kid how to do a skill, and then after a little while, the kid could do the skill. I think it was an elastico. And then from that, somebody asked me if I would be interested in coaching as a job. I was only 15 at the time, so when I turned 16, I went to the local community centre and became a coach and, over time, I decided that I would like to make it my career. It wasn’t something that was intentional; it was just something that kind of happened one evening and then I made it my life goal to do something.

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FutureStars Football Academy – Coaching Rising Stars

FSFA LogoFootball-loving brothers Saahil and Sanil Desai decided to set up FutureStars Football Academy (FSFA), a grassroots football academy in Mumbai in 2012. Their motivation behind opening the academy was to take their passion for football to the next level, and give young children a chance to be active while falling in love with the beautiful game. The brothers started playing football at a young age, and today they hope to pass on this love to all the children who come to the Academy. GFI had a chance to interview Co-Founder and Director Saahil Desai. Here’s what he had to say.

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SEPT – Bringing Hope to Football in Kerala

SEPT Football Nursery

SEPT Football Nursery

“Those days, back in the 1990s, a footballer from Kerala was looked upon with awe,” remembers IM Vijayan, a native of Kerala and one of the greatest footballers India has ever produced. Reminiscing further, he says, “You guys are tigers, they used to tell me. Outstanding talents just continued to flow out of our tiny state. The quality of our players surprised everyone. We had V. P. Sathyan, C. V. Pappachan, U. Sharaf Ali, K. T. Chacko, Kurikesh Mathew, Mathew Varghese, Jo Paul Ancheri…”

It’s true. There was a time when Kerala footballers even formed the majority of the Indian national team. “I remember having around nine players from Kerala at an Indian camp,” says Vijayan. “And there were occasions when five of us actually made the eleven.” Since then, there has been a mighty fall from grace.

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