Marcel van Dij’k impressed with SEPT players

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It is the sheer enthusiasm and fervour shown by the young football players of Sports and Education Promotion Trust (SEPT) that have attracted Marcel van Dij’k from Holland to Kerala for the second time.

The director of Soccer Academy in Holland is accompanied by Bernice Beonsem,a trainee in football coaching to assist him in his works in the State.

Both of them came to Kerala to train young players as part of the youth development project of SEPT. They will be training the players and coaches of SEPT for the next two weeks.

What made Marcel come to India for the second time were the experience of the players and their interest in the game. “The players are excellent and they have a bright future. I was surprised to see the popularity of football here during my first visit. So I thought of visiting the SEPT camp once again,” he said.

Marcel does not find much difference in skills and techniques between the players from Holland and those of Kerala. “The players here have got excellent skills. I like to hand-pick four or five youngsters from here to Holland for better training, if everything falls into place,” he said.

Explaining how football is a game of formation, he says, “There are good coaches here. But the focus of football has changed a lot. More emphasis should be given to tactics. Only then can a team perform as a whole.

“The players here are more motivated towards the game than the youngsters in Holland. No player in Holland will accept the ground conditions here. But I have not seen any dislike among the players here for the lack of facilities,” he said.

Bernice Beonsema, who is with Marcel, is learning coaching tips from her visit to Kerala. “There is a lot of difference in football there and here. So I can learn a lot. Besides, we want to give the students something they do not know and that we have. This is a voluntary service for me,” she said.

Both of them will return to Holland after two weeks of training in Kerala.