Elsewhere In Football #26
Sahayak Begins To Take Flight
Exactly one year ago, I completed my first exploratory month in India. During that time, we delivered two weekend coaching courses and launched our very first underprivileged school programme. It was an incredible month, one that immediately showed me where the next chapter of my career belonged.
Four months later, in August 2025, I made the move permanently.
Looking back now, it’s remarkable to see what has been built in such a short period of time. Over the past few weeks especially, we’ve experienced tremendous growth, and it’s becoming increasingly clear: this is only the beginning.
Local Schools Are Joining The Journey.....
Working within local school systems in India presents unique challenges, particularly when supporting under-resourced communities. Building trust and creating long-term partnerships takes time, patience, and consistency. Schools are already managing demanding schedules and limited resources, so demonstrating the value of football-based education and development is an ongoing process.
That said, progress is happening.
Thanks to the outstanding work of our Head of Operations, Shresth, and his relentless commitment to moving the project forward, we’ve recently held several high-level meetings with local government officials. Those conversations have led to a major breakthrough — an agreement granting us access to eighteen additional local schools, with four already launching programmes this past week.
The momentum is growing rapidly.
We are now coaching more than 1,000 children every single week across 13 schools, with another 14 schools expected to join before the end of the year. Our base in Haldwani continues to expand, and the opportunities ahead are incredibly exciting.
Building A Strong Coaching Ecosystem...
One of the most rewarding parts of this journey has been developing people.
Recently, we welcomed four new young coaches into the programme while also promoting two existing staff members into senior leadership roles. Watching the coaching ecosystem develop organically has been hugely fulfilling.
For me personally, helping coaches grow, both professionally and personally, is one of the best parts of the job. Not every young coach joining us sees football as their long-term career path, and that’s perfectly fine. What matters is that they recognise the transferable skills football coaching can develop: leadership, communication, confidence, organisation, teamwork, and resilience.
My responsibility is to ensure every coach’s experience is tailored in a way that supports their wider ambitions and future career goals. Of course, if they eventually decide football coaching is where they want to stay, that’s even better.
Two individuals who fully deserve recognition are Rohit and Avinash.
Rohit has grown tremendously over the past eight months and has become an indispensable part of the organisation. Beginning in June, he will lead operations within our second district.
Avinash, meanwhile, is a natural development coach with exceptional potential and a very bright future in the game.
Together, they represent the type of coaching culture we are striving to build.
Looking Ahead.....
The next few months promise to be incredibly busy.
In June, we officially launch Almora as our second district, further expanding our grassroots network across the region. Then in July, the second season of our grassroots league begins — another major step in creating regular football opportunities for young players.
On a personal level, I’ve also recently been shortlisted for a task force with the All India Football Federation focused on helping develop football philosophy across the country. It’s an exciting opportunity, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it leads.
Alongside that, I’ll also be travelling to New York City in July to attend a three-day workshop at TOVO Academy hosted at Princeton University, focusing on player positioning and methodology development.
There’s still a huge amount of work ahead, but the foundations are now firmly in place.
What started as an idea is becoming something far bigger, a growing football ecosystem built on opportunity, education, and long-term development.
And this is only the start.
Good work and the all the very best!
Awesome coach