Tag: Grassroots Football Inspiration (page 2 of 2)

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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Retiring Legend Leaves Us More Inspiration

If you haven’t heard already, one of our generation’s greatest athletes, Kobe Bryant, is going to retire after the 2015-16 NBA season. Recognised all over the world as a fantastic basketball player, those who have read a little more about him will know of his notoriously relentless work ethic as he often hoisted shots and raised a hellish sweat at ungodly hours in the gym.

Moreover, it’s not often that we see such a hugely talented athlete spend almost his entire career, 20 years, with one team and spur them to giddying heights of success. The man has 2 Olympic gold medals, 5 NBA Championship rings with the Lakers, an NBA MVP along with SEVENTEEN NBA All-Star selections.

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Insights From Children: On Punishment

As coaches & parents of incredibly energetic, dynamic and active children, patience is the one attribute we cannot leave behind at home before stepping on to the training ground. There are, however, those odd days when we are really at the ends of our tether – it could be tensions from home or work or just an ‘off’ day when we’re ‘not up to it’. Even the best have them. Those are the times when we, as educators and mentors, are most prone to yelling or punishing the kids. It takes a lot of control to hold oneself back, not scream and do the ‘right’ thing. The lesson for us is clear – and it’s not like we don’t know – screaming & punishments are mostly counter-productive and useless.

But children have a way with words and an ability to drive home the message in the most unique way. This is one fantastic example:

:) Have a great day!

Written with inputs from Samira Kumar.

A New Year & New Start

Diwali is over and the new year has begun. It’s time for us to renew our commitment to the game, the kids, parents and the principles that drive us forward every day! Happy Monday Everybody! #AttackTheWeek

GFI Commitment

Image Credit: Goldsea.com

Everyday Heroes: Meet Jonathan Pitre

As stakeholders in grassroots football, be it parents, coaches or administrative staff, we often experience magical moments when we’re going about our work – moments when people, children especially, offer us much-needed doses of inspiration and love. Today, and for many days, months and years to come, Jonathan Pitre, a 14-year-old boy, scratch that, a 14-year-old superhero, from Ottawa, Canada is that source of inspiration.

Being a superhero isn’t always about wearing a cape and flying around saving Gotham. Sometimes, it’s just about being brave, and doing the absolute best you can with what you’ve been given. Jonathan is one such hero who refuses to let his condition bring him down or dictate his life. Born with a skin condition known as Epidermolysis Bullosa, or just EB, Jonathan went through many years of life thinking he was alone. Until he attended an EB conference in Toronto in 2012. For the first time in his life, he met others like him, and decided that he wanted to make a change.

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One for Our Grassroots Football Coaches

This one is dedicated to all the grassroots football coaches in India and across the world who work for a pittance or without pay even, overcome huge obstacles, and go well beyond the call of duty to make sure their players preserve their love for ‘The Beautiful Game’ – wherever you may be, however difficult things may seem on some days, know that you have the power to change the lives of your young players. More power to you!

Mandela Quote on Sports

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