Contributed by Ajeya Row – Head, Soccer Schools, Pune FC
One of the greatest travesties of grassroots football is watching a coach jumping and yelling along the touchline as s/he sucks the joy out of the game for the kids out on the pitch. I recently caught an Under-12 game where a school coach cursed and heckled his own player for misplacing a pass! It was disgraceful.
When I think back to why coaches behave like that in training or at a game, there are a few reasons that come to mind:
AIFF Grassroots Workshop in New Delhi
While the AIFF has been under fire in the past few weeks regarding the ISL and I-League mess, they are still taking positive steps in other areas – especially in regard to grassroots football in India. The governing body recently conducted a Grassroots Leaders Workshop for representatives of all I-League & 2nd Division League clubs.
In keeping with its reputation as one of the leading professional clubs driving grassroots & youth football, Pune FC recently hosted the inaugural edition of the Godrej Properties-Pune FC Futsal Cup 2015. Envisioned as an inter-school Under 12 invitational five-a-side tournament, the competition gave over 40 schools from all over the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad area a much-needed platform to showcase their talent. One unique feature of the tournament required all participating teams to field at least one Under 10 player at all times on the pitch. This encouraged coaches to give talented Under 10 players a taste of competitive action.
A call to address fundamental issues
Over the last couple of months, there has been much displeasure and discussion over India’s loss to 174th ranked Guam in the World Cup 2018 Qualifiers. Everyone, from ex-players and coaches to the guy next door, has shared opinions and theories about why a nation with 1.2 billion people lost to a country whose population is equal to that of a tiny Pune suburb (165,000).
While some have expressed knee-jerk reactions and stated that football in India has hit new lows sparking cries of humiliation, others have been more realistic and recognised that this is a young, inexperienced squad with a new coach who is looking to rebuild the national team.
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