Youth development in shambles

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When Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Manchester United are conducting talent hunts in the state and selecting school students to train at their stadiums, a group of youngsters are trying hard to find a professional match to hone their skills in the game.

The condition of young players in the state is deplorable but the condition in the country is no better.

Apart from the state championships in the under-16, under-19 and under-21 categories, players are left in the lurch without any exposure to professional football tournaments.

“At present those who are born in the years 1992, ‘93, ‘94, ‘95 have no chance to play in the state. All the grooming sessions of youngsters end by the age of 15 in various academies in the state.

After that there are no youth tournaments in the state,” says CM Deepak, coach at the Universal Soccer School, which has teams in the youth categories.

Some years ago, there was no grass root development programme in the state, but several academies that sprung up over the years have made inroads into grass root development.

However, what is of concern is that most students passing out from the academies have no opportunity to play or improve their skills. At present, the youth development stops at the under-15 category in the state.

“Some years ago, there were a couple of youth tournaments run by sponsorships. As sponsorships dwindled, the tournaments became extinct and at present players have to wait until the state association conducts their tournaments to select a team for the nationals. However, only 18 players from a district get a chance to play and that too once in a year,” he says.

In the recently held seminar for football coaches in Mumbai, AIFF has stressed that state associations should submit a master plan on youth development.

“There should be at least four or five tournaments in a season. Even if the association conducts a state club championship in the youth category and their respective district-level matches, the problem could be solved to an extent,” he opines. Deepak was one of the coaches who took part in the coaching camp from the state.

Experts have pointed out that the grooming of a player should be completed by 17 and from 17 to 19 players should increase their exposure and must reach their peak from between 19 to 23.

So it is evident that players from the state have no chance to evolve as professionals under the current set up of tournaments.