New Premier Skills phase kicks off in Kolkata

The hugely successful Premier Skills initiative, run by the Premier League and the British Council, has returned to Kolkata 10 years after its first session in the city.

Forty-eight grassroots football coaches from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and affiliated institutions across India will participate in the Premier Skills Phase 2 training course between September 18 and 23, a British Council release said on Tuesday.

The selected coaches have completed the Premier Skills Phase 1 trainings in Delhi, Bengaluru and Guwahati and will now undertake the intensive training in Kolkata.

The course in Kolkata has been jointly organised by the British Council, Premier League, SAI and the All India Football Federation (AIFF), and will be delivered at Netaji Subhash Eastern Centre in Salt Lake, Kolkata.

Throughout the week the 48 grassroots coaches, almost a third of whom are women, will receive expert training from qualified Premier Skills staff. These coaches will then return to their local community football projects and can use their newly-acquired knowledge to encourage and aid development.

The Premier Skills Phase 2 training in Kolkata will be led by Premier League Coach Educator Jeremy Weeks, who will be supported by UK Club Coaches Jonathan Garside from Everton FC and Dominic Edwards and Rakim Richards both from Tottenham Hotspur FC. They will be joined by Premier Skills coach educators Malvita Mascarenhas and Clinton C from India.

Over the past ten years, 1,100 coaches and referees in India have received training through the Premier Skills programme, who in turn have reached 90,000 young people with their delivery.

--IANS

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