Football for intellectually-disabled: English coaches train Indians

Lets's have fun with football! That's the message two English coaches will pass onto Indian trainers working with the intellectually-disabled during a three-day intensive camp for 50 coaches from nine states that will begin here Saturday.

Two Tottenham Hotspur Foundation (THF) coaches arrived here Friday to impart football training to 50 Special Olympics Bharat (SO Bharat) coaches to help them with the process of social inclusion of people with below average learning abilities.

The training will be held at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) complex from Saturday to Monday through a series of indoor and outdoor sessions for the coaches from east and north-east India.

"We will show them through examples and activities how to incorporate the fun element in football and spread the message that football is not just a competitive sport but can also bring about a change," Gareth Jones, one of the THF coaches, said.

"Once the coaches go through the camp, they will know how to keep them (intellectually disabled) coming back to the sport because of the sheer joy and fun of playing."

The Kolkata leg is in continuation of the first phase of a programme that was initiated earlier this year in Goa and Gujarat.

"In Goa and Gujarat, it was more theory and classroom oriented. In Kolkata, we are making it more of a practical experience. Part of it involves session planning, motivational practices and at the end of it checking up on how much they have learnt," Dan Slaughter, the other THF coach, said.

The programme will proceed to Gurgaon after completion of the Kolkata leg.

"On the third and final day, the Indian coaches will work with 20 special athletes from West Bengal and put into practice what they learn," SO Bharat (West Bengal chapter) vice-chairperson and president Bibek Bardhan said.

"By making it fun for them, we hope families will be encouraged to participate in helping them mainstream. Later on we plan to mix normal players with the intellectually disabled players to mainstream them."

Organisers said this project hopes to improve the quality of coaching in India for people with intellectual disabilities, leading to a greater talent pool across the country.

"Though they have below average intelligence, their football playing skills are extraordinary. We hope to include the English module into our training to help them play in the mainstream," O.S. Ashok Kumar, a coach from Jamshedpur said.

Supported by the Premier League, the project trains coaches to benefit 30,000 people with intellectual disabilities across India with quality training and provide access to sporting initiatives.

THF was established as a registered charity in 2006 with significant investment from Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

SO Bharat is a National Sports Federation accredited by Special Olympics Inc to conduct its sports programmes all over India. It organises Olympic-type sports for persons with intellectual disabilities with over a million athletes registered in the programme currently.

Initial stages of the project will see Tottenham Hotspur staff train 200 coaches in four Indian locations (Goa, Gujarat, Kolkata, Haryana) this year, working with over 600 athletes with intellectual disabilities.