ISL grassroots workshop to train million kids

Aimed at scouting and nurturing a million budding footballers, the Indian Super League (ISL) Sunday kicked off its ambitious Grassroots Development Programme with a three-day workshop here.

All India Football Federation's (AIFF) Technical Director of Academies and Director Coach Education Scott O'Donnell, who is supervising the programme, said the ISL will play a catalytic role in raising the sport's profile in the country.

"There is no doubt the ISL and the involvement of international stars including the likes of Michael Chopra and Freddie Ljungberg will play a big role in raising the game's profile in India. Indian football is now getting into the newspapers and the media, this is what you need," said O'Donnell.

"The aim at working at the grassroots is to make kids enjoy the game and its following increases. We want as many boys and girls to come forward. The programme aims to train at least a million kids."

Under the programme, each of the eight ISL franchises have pooled Rs.2 crore and appointed development managers and officers entrusted with the responsibility of scouting and training budding talents.

O'Donnell and Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Grassroots Working Group member Piet Hubers held a theory session Sunday with the development managers and officers as a part of the initiative.

"It's not only about the basic skills of football but also about the approaches the trainers need to adopt while scouting and training the kids. The theory session involves lessons on the technical aspects of the game and scientific approaches about motivation, fitness training etc," said an ISL official.

"Contribution of the franchises towards the programme was one of the basic qualifications during bidding because our aim is to take the game to every nook and corner of the country."

The next workshop is expected to be held in New Delhi or Mumbai at the end of the month.