The glitzy new Indian Super League is bringing new audiences to football and creating new forms of fan culture, but it is certainly not enough to radically improve the dire state of football in the country.
Former footballers say that grassroots programmes are essential, both to develop skill and stamina.
With a FIFA world ranking of 158 of 202 football-playing nations in the men’s category, there’s no doubt that there’s room for improvement. The ISL has been developed as a showcase for has-been foreign stars. There is too little being done to groom youngsters to get the basics right.
“Though the tournament has triggered curiosity among fans, India is far from making it as a football powerhouse even in Asia, let alone qualifying for the World Cup anytime soon,” said Anandi Barua, former India footballer and the coach of the Indian women’s football team. “There is a distinctive difference in the quality of play between the foreign and the Indian players, though most of the foreign players retired from international football a long time ago.”
1) Scout and nurture young talent
India should learn from countries in Europe. Bodies like the All India Football Federation need to scout young talent as early as 11 and 13, preferably even earlier. Their diets have to be maintained along with a regular training schedule. It takes years of practice and training to become a world-class footballer, according to Barua.
Lionel Messi was already known about, and considered one of Argentina’s gifted youngsters, when FC Barcelona scouted him at the age of 11. Yet it took six years of training at a world-class facility with top-level coaches and support staff for him to mature enough to make his debut at the age of 17.
2) Better football pitches
Take the Nehru Stadium in Chennai. There is uneven covering of grass, remnants of shamianas and bald patches everywhere on the field, according to Bhaskar Ganguly, who captained the Indian football team in 1982 Asian games in New Delhi. The situation is not very different at venues like Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata and the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi.
“The authorities have to ensure that the football pitch at least is developed as per global standards,” Ganguly said. “One cannot expect us to get better at the game if the ball is bouncing erratically on an uneven pitch.”
The water disposal systems at these pitches also need to be upgraded. In the monsoon, most professional fields are flooded with rainwater. “It is difficult to play in inhuman conditions and then aspire to play at the world stage,” said Prasun Banerjee, the former Indian footballer and Arjuna Awardee.
3) Tap the talent in the North Eastern states
“The AIFF needs to establish football academies and world-class training centres in the North East states,” said Ganguly. “If young footballers are trained under foreign coaches and are compelled to maintain a disciplined lifestyle, then the camps are bound to produce world-class players.”
For some years now, North East India has produced India’s best footballers, players like Baichung Bhutia and Sunil and Nirmal Chhetri.
4) ISL needs to establish permanent training centres
The ISL teams need to work with the AIFF to set up permanent training centres and football academies in their respective states.
“Permanent training centres will not only help in scouting young talent but also nurture them until they qualify as an international standard footballer,” said Banerjee. “Just identifying the talent and later abandoning him will not elevate the standard of Indian football.”
The Indian Super League has already announced a grassroots development programme, a three-day workshop that will be held in several parts of the country during the ongoing ISL tournament. The programme aims to train a million young football aspirants. Each ISL franchise has pooled Rs 2 crore each and appointed development managers to run these workshops in their respective states.
Former footballers say that grassroots programmes are essential, both to develop skill and stamina.
With a FIFA world ranking of 158 of 202 football-playing nations in the men’s category, there’s no doubt that there’s room for improvement. The ISL has been developed as a showcase for has-been foreign stars. There is too little being done to groom youngsters to get the basics right.
“Though the tournament has triggered curiosity among fans, India is far from making it as a football powerhouse even in Asia, let alone qualifying for the World Cup anytime soon,” said Anandi Barua, former India footballer and the coach of the Indian women’s football team. “There is a distinctive difference in the quality of play between the foreign and the Indian players, though most of the foreign players retired from international football a long time ago.”
1) Scout and nurture young talent
India should learn from countries in Europe. Bodies like the All India Football Federation need to scout young talent as early as 11 and 13, preferably even earlier. Their diets have to be maintained along with a regular training schedule. It takes years of practice and training to become a world-class footballer, according to Barua.
Lionel Messi was already known about, and considered one of Argentina’s gifted youngsters, when FC Barcelona scouted him at the age of 11. Yet it took six years of training at a world-class facility with top-level coaches and support staff for him to mature enough to make his debut at the age of 17.
2) Better football pitches
Take the Nehru Stadium in Chennai. There is uneven covering of grass, remnants of shamianas and bald patches everywhere on the field, according to Bhaskar Ganguly, who captained the Indian football team in 1982 Asian games in New Delhi. The situation is not very different at venues like Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata and the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi.
“The authorities have to ensure that the football pitch at least is developed as per global standards,” Ganguly said. “One cannot expect us to get better at the game if the ball is bouncing erratically on an uneven pitch.”
The water disposal systems at these pitches also need to be upgraded. In the monsoon, most professional fields are flooded with rainwater. “It is difficult to play in inhuman conditions and then aspire to play at the world stage,” said Prasun Banerjee, the former Indian footballer and Arjuna Awardee.
3) Tap the talent in the North Eastern states
“The AIFF needs to establish football academies and world-class training centres in the North East states,” said Ganguly. “If young footballers are trained under foreign coaches and are compelled to maintain a disciplined lifestyle, then the camps are bound to produce world-class players.”
For some years now, North East India has produced India’s best footballers, players like Baichung Bhutia and Sunil and Nirmal Chhetri.
4) ISL needs to establish permanent training centres
The ISL teams need to work with the AIFF to set up permanent training centres and football academies in their respective states.
“Permanent training centres will not only help in scouting young talent but also nurture them until they qualify as an international standard footballer,” said Banerjee. “Just identifying the talent and later abandoning him will not elevate the standard of Indian football.”
The Indian Super League has already announced a grassroots development programme, a three-day workshop that will be held in several parts of the country during the ongoing ISL tournament. The programme aims to train a million young football aspirants. Each ISL franchise has pooled Rs 2 crore each and appointed development managers to run these workshops in their respective states.
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