Elsewhere In Football #20 - India Visit
- Apr 21
- 2 min read
First Impressions of Indian Football
My one month excursion to India to learn about the eco-system and development system is underway. This is a country that has huge potential but is yet to produce at the top level of the game both in terms of players and international teams.
Sudeva Academy is on the right track....
In Delhi, I met with #sudevaacademy who are clearly one of the best around. Anuj Gupta is the founder and he has a real urgency about his work and a confident football brains. The academy has a field in the middle of the city giving them access to unlimited talent. One interesting point made was the minimum size they expect their central defenders and Goalkeeper to be. These can't be found in the city so they're often going to the more rural places to scout bigger stronger boys.
They have strong ties to German football, Stuggart in particular, and a consistent flow of players going pro through their academy here in India.
Haldwani is at the beginning of its football journey......
In Haldwani, we spent the morning visiting schools and local programs to get an idea of what the football environment was like. I've been lucky enough to meet some wind wonderful young people all of whom are trying new and exciting ways to educate young people/players. In schools they're recognising sport for all the good it can do rather than seeing it as a waste of time.
In the local clubs they're as passionate about football as anywhere else I've seen in Asia. Watching a U14 tournament final you could see the players giving everything for their teams, pulling each other along and a real collective and community feel about everything. I was actually invited to hand out the trophies alongside a local government official which was a little overwhelming and I was a little under dressed but of course I was happy to do it.
A humbling experience so far....
What I can say is I've been truly humbled by the welcome from locals. They're genuinely happy to see someone interested and keen to get involved. The locals thirst for knowledge and exchanges of ideas is incredible. What I've noticed is that they don't see foreign coaches as a threat but more of an asset, which is very different from what I've experienced in some Asian countries.
Upcoming.....
I will be doing some guest coaching sessions this week as well as hosting a grassroots coaching clinic this weekend.
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