The best will always find its way. If you consider a player performs very well he would be given a first team debut by his club. All that remains is to take his oppurtunity by both hands
The best will always find its way. If you consider a player performs very well he would be given a first team debut by his club. All that remains is to take his oppurtunity by both hands
Clearly 350 U-23 players being given a full season of regular competitive football is a good thing that should happen, but here's why I think the Arrows need to continue to stay in the I-League:
a) In the U-23 or U-19 league, they won't be competing against the best in India, the defence and goalkeepers won't have to defend against Odafa, Ranti, Beto or Chhetri, the midfield and forwards won't have to try to get past Penn, Gawli, Subrata.
b) If they do get drafted into the senior teams for their clubs they still won't get regular first team minutes like they do with the Arrows
c) the level of training will not be the same as it is right now (the main reason for the high cost of maintaining the Arrows)
d) I haven't seen their contracts but the AIFF shouldn't have to pay any more than last year because of the improved performance because they signed 3 year contracts with these guys last year.
At the end of the 3 year contract let them go off to the highest bidders and buy out the contracts of the best players from the U-19 league (not U-19 players already playing in the senior teams), to form the next Arrows squad. Impose a cap on how much the clubs can ask for a transferee to keep the Arrow's costs low. If the clubs had really thought these guys were good enough for the senior team, maybe they should have drafted them into the senior team earlier, and not played them in the U-19 league. This will serve two purposes, keep the costs low for the Arrows and motivate the clubs to promote their younger players earlier (for fear of losing them to the Arrows). Ultimately, the players will have the choice of whom they want to play for, their club for a higher pay or the Arrows for more exposure.
As to the costs of maintaining the Arrows, build the franchise and generate revenues. This is probably the best followed team across the country (and not regionally like the Calcutta and Goan clubs) since it is comprised of our future national team players, and they have the benefit of being housed in a large metro, Delhi. If you marketed them like PFC markets their team, you could easily generate 4 crores in revenues from ticket sales and sponsorship. But the first step for that, of course comes back to television coverage. I am sure that the Arrows can be managed as a profitable entity without sacrificing on the mission. This will allow the AIFF to focus its resources towards funding the U-19 league like they want to. We can eat our cake and have it too.
Pedro I support you but I dont know how this is financially viable for AIFF..i dont understand the financial thing...but still I want this team, maybe coz i am a supporter of this team......I wish to see them more
I really don't think Indian Arrows would generate any revenue,when teams like PFC itself are unable to.
AFC want all the 14 teams to meet the AFC Criteria,I guess even AIFF requested them to give special status for IA but looks like Mr hammam is not interested.
Now even if AIFF market it well and do there best they will have to atleast shell out 11-12 crores which I feel is a waste of resources.
An Youth League is a good way to encourage clubs to improve their Grass-Roots program and build good players for India.Talking about experience, I guess most of foreign imports in India are only as good Indian players except for their physique.If these players in Youth League are given good facilities + Training automatically by playing regularly they would become far better than the ones in first team.
Indian Arrows only consists of 25 players,as time goes by rest of the players in I-League or India would be the same ordinary ones,this would not only degrade the I-League quality but also reduce the pool of players for National Team.Now if you have an Youth League you would have huge number of players getting equal opportunity and improving themselves everyday,it would be like a factory supplying good well trained players to I-League and National Team.
I definitely love Indian Arrows team and supported them too,but I don't think it has much to offer in long term.Youth League is the way forward,its has been implemented in many big footballing countries and it is successful. <!-- s;) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" /><!-- s;) -->
If Indian football is dreaming big, much of the credit goes to Colm Toal who has been working with the age-group teams as the Technical Director in Goa since 2007. In a freewheeling interview to <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.the-aiff.com">www.the-aiff.com</a><!-- w -->, Toal stresses the Indian boys aren’t inferior to their Western counterparts. But they need to match the athleticism and the size of the higher-ranked teams.
Excerpts:
What’s your assessment of the boys and the teams you have coached so far?
In the last four years, I have been lucky to have worked with a lot of talented youngsters and a support-staff who have always been 100% supportive of the Programme. We have coached boys at all age-groups – from U-13 to U-19 and the results have been fabulous as he have had many promising batches graduating into the mainstream.
Indian Arrows have been our best team so far. AIFF’s decision to register an U-21 team in the I-League has been the most positive decision during my stint in India. It was frustrating to watch the talented U-19 boys fading away because there was no structure in the I-League to take care of them. And the entire credit goes to the Coach and the support staff that a team devoid of foreigners have done reasonably well. Let’s also not forget the boys are already a part of the Olympic squad and stay the future of the country.
From a Technical point of view where do you see the Indian boys in comparison to their Western counterparts?
I feel we shouldn’t be comparing our boys with their counterparts in Europe or North America. All I can tell you is that in 2007, we had a Training Camp in Germany where our U-16 team convincingly beat three Bundesliga Academy Teams. We beat Stuttgart, 1860 Munich and FC Augsburg by an identical 2-0 margin. In addition, in 2008 the same team travelled to England and drew 3-3 with Manchester United’s U-16 team. In none of these matches did we feel that the European boys were either technically or tactically better than us. Are you satisfied with the skill level of the boys?
Every coach intends to improve the technical ability of his players and we are no different. The International matches we have played over the past 4 years have been an education for us. We have learnt the hard way that in comparison to Asia’s best, we need to improve. More than the technique, we need to match the size, power and athleticism of the higher-ranked teams.
Does the size of a footballer matter? Can teams with ‘smaller’ boys be successful?
During my stay in India, I have heard that we need to adapt our style of play to suit the ‘smaller’ Indian players. This is a wrong notion. There is no style of play that is going to make a ‘small’ International team successful.
In fact, we are working with the State Associations and concentrating on ‘bigger’ boys. Size is always a sensitive issue when you are dealing with young players but everybody is encouraged to believe that ‘if you are good enough you are big enough.’
What are the areas you stress upon?
We concentrate on the four areas that will help to develop our National Team -- physical fitness, technical ability, tactical awareness and mental strength. Unless you possess them, you cannot be successful in International football.
India is a vast country with many languages with the boys coming from different socio–cultural backgrounds. How do you communicate with them -- because not all speak and understand English?
Communication is an extremely important factor for coaches. Our coaches take turns from their own coaching duties and translate it for me. They enjoy this extra responsibility and feel they benefit from it. Jose Mourinho too, began his coaching career as a translator.
Each boy in the Academy is required to study on a daily basis for 2-3 hours. The medium of instruction is both English and Hindi. I’d say the tutors do a good job – the proof stays that the Indian Arrows boys don’t require a translator anymore.
How do you describe the support of the All India Football Federation?
Every National Academy needs the support of its Federation. I’d like to thank former General Secretary Mr. Alberto Colaco and his successor Mr. Kushal Das, both of whom have been very supportive of the Programme.
AIFF has stressed on the continuity process. It means the Programme needs to be continued at any cost. Now every team works on a two-year cycle in their preparation for U-16 and U-19 Asian Qualifiers.
In 2007 the U-16 team qualified for the Asian Championship. Do you see that batch or others graduating and moving out of the country and playing in some other domestic Leagues?
The U-16 team winning the Qualifying Group in 2007 stays our best result so far. To win a group that included Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Lebanon was a big achievement indeed. Thirteen boys from that squad are presently playing for the Indian Arrows which is based in Gurgaon.
Every chance we get, we talk about the importance of differentiating between winning and development. Results at this level -- in a National Academy, are important but not as important as producing players who would go ahead and make a meaningful contribution to our Senior National Team.
Sooner or later, we are going to have players who will play in a League outside the country. Till then, I hope they commit themselves to the National Team. Our National team can only be as good as the players in our I-League teams are.
If aiff wants spanish passing style football then how long are they going to keep colin, and dulpin for India's youth teams ?
bulpin train indian arrows to be fit for different style of games as he change the strategy of the team in each half.In one match which i saw, he was using long ball in first half while short passing style in the other. if this way of training continues,then why cant they continue their job.
If aiff wants spanish passing style football then how long are they going to keep colin, and dulpin for India's youth teams ?
bulpin train indian arrows to be fit for different style of games as he change the strategy of the team in each half.In one match which i saw, he was using long ball in first half while short passing style in the other. if this way of training continues,then why cant they continue their job.
In my opinion bulpin is alright for the time being. but for me as a youth coach he needs to take care of the technical aspects a little bit more because with experience you will be able to gather tactical knowledge
“In 2007, we had a training camp in Germany where our Under-16 team convincingly beat three Bundesliga academy sides. In addition, in 2008, the same team travelled to England and drew 3-3 with Manchester United's Under-16 team. In none of these matches did we feel that the European boys were either technically or tactically better than us,” says Colm Toal, the man in charge of India's junior development programme.
- By Ayon Sengupta.
FIFA repeatedly emphasises on strengthening the youth development setup in every developing football nation. Colm Toal, the man in charge of that mission in India, which is ranked 145 in the world, has ushered in a silent revolution that might provide the impetus to the country's distant footballing dreams.
Under Toal's tutelage the Indian teams (Under-16 and Under-19) have done remarkably well and have made their presence felt in the continent. The teams have qualified for the age-group Asian Championships, humbling more fancied sides such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Lebanon.
Unlike the former senior National coach, Robert Houghton of England, Toal has preferred to stay out of the limelight and has concentrated only on the job at hand.
“India has many talented juniors and my job and that of my team has been to unearth them and impart the correct technical knowledge. The emphasis is on the wholesale development of the boys,” said Toal.
“In the last four years, I have been lucky to have worked with a lot of talented youngsters and a support staff who have always been 100 per cent supportive. We have coached boys from all age-groups, from Under-13 to Under-19, and the results have been satisfying. Now we have our boys playing in the National team as well as in many I-League sides,” he said.
Dismissing the myth about the difference in quality between the Indians and their European counterparts, Toal said, “I feel we shouldn't be comparing our boys with their counterparts in Europe or North America. All I can tell you is that in 2007, we had a training camp in Germany where our Under-16 team convincingly beat three Bundesliga academy sides. We beat Stuttgart, 1860 Munich and FC Augsburg by identical 2-0 margins. In addition, in 2008, the same team travelled to England and drew 3-3 with Manchester United's Under-16 team. In none of these matches did we feel that the European boys were either technically or tactically better than us.”
But Toal was quick to admit that the junior development programme had hit a roadblock of sorts. “Just before the 2009 Under-16 Asian qualifiers, 16 of our boys were caught for being over-aged and that affected us deeply. We did put up a spirited show at the qualifiers but the loss was too big to surmount,” he said.
Ready to deal with the problem of over-aged players at the very beginning, the AIFF (All India Football Federation) had made it mandatory for the players to undergo MRI tests before the 2011 camp in Goa. “All the players were thoroughly checked before they were admitted to the programme this year. And I should also add that after the 2009 embarrassment the level of awareness and honesty has increased. We had very few offenders this time round,” Toal said.
With two tough Under-16 and Under-19 qualifying rounds ahead in September and November respectively, Toal has set his sights on doing well at the Asian level again. “Qualifying for the main tournament would be our aim. But we know it won't be an easy ride,” he said. “Our lack of infrastructure is a hindrance for any long-term development. The top 10 Asian countries had set their infrastructure right 40 years ago. We need to bridge that gap as early as possible if we wish to fulfil any of our long-term goals.”
Taking a dig at the “success-only” policy of the I-League clubs, he said: “I don't want to embarrass the I-League clubs, but how many of them have academies or age-group teams. They are gunning for immediate glory but to sustain it in the long term you have to invest in youth. But most clubs here are yet to imbibe that culture.”
Toal, however, dismissed talks of taking over the senior National side, which has an interim coach in Armando Colaco after the premature exit of Houghton. “I am happy with the work I am doing and I want to continue doing this for a few more years,” Toal said.
“Taking over the hot seat has never crossed my mind,” he added.
Comments
Clearly 350 U-23 players being given a full season of regular competitive football is a good thing that should happen, but here's why I think the Arrows need to continue to stay in the I-League:
a) In the U-23 or U-19 league, they won't be competing against the best in India, the defence and goalkeepers won't have to defend against Odafa, Ranti, Beto or Chhetri, the midfield and forwards won't have to try to get past Penn, Gawli, Subrata.
b) If they do get drafted into the senior teams for their clubs they still won't get regular first team minutes like they do with the Arrows
c) the level of training will not be the same as it is right now (the main reason for the high cost of maintaining the Arrows)
d) I haven't seen their contracts but the AIFF shouldn't have to pay any more than last year because of the improved performance because they signed 3 year contracts with these guys last year.
At the end of the 3 year contract let them go off to the highest bidders and buy out the contracts of the best players from the U-19 league (not U-19 players already playing in the senior teams), to form the next Arrows squad. Impose a cap on how much the clubs can ask for a transferee to keep the Arrow's costs low. If the clubs had really thought these guys were good enough for the senior team, maybe they should have drafted them into the senior team earlier, and not played them in the U-19 league. This will serve two purposes, keep the costs low for the Arrows and motivate the clubs to promote their younger players earlier (for fear of losing them to the Arrows). Ultimately, the players will have the choice of whom they want to play for, their club for a higher pay or the Arrows for more exposure.
As to the costs of maintaining the Arrows, build the franchise and generate revenues. This is probably the best followed team across the country (and not regionally like the Calcutta and Goan clubs) since it is comprised of our future national team players, and they have the benefit of being housed in a large metro, Delhi. If you marketed them like PFC markets their team, you could easily generate 4 crores in revenues from ticket sales and sponsorship. But the first step for that, of course comes back to television coverage. I am sure that the Arrows can be managed as a profitable entity without sacrificing on the mission. This will allow the AIFF to focus its resources towards funding the U-19 league like they want to. We can eat our cake and have it too.
AFC want all the 14 teams to meet the AFC Criteria,I guess even AIFF requested them to give special status for IA but looks like Mr hammam is not interested.
Now even if AIFF market it well and do there best they will have to atleast shell out 11-12 crores which I feel is a waste of resources.
An Youth League is a good way to encourage clubs to improve their Grass-Roots program and build good players for India.Talking about experience, I guess most of foreign imports in India are only as good Indian players except for their physique.If these players in Youth League are given good facilities + Training automatically by playing regularly they would become far better than the ones in first team.
Indian Arrows only consists of 25 players,as time goes by rest of the players in I-League or India would be the same ordinary ones,this would not only degrade the I-League quality but also reduce the pool of players for National Team.Now if you have an Youth League you would have huge number of players getting equal opportunity and improving themselves everyday,it would be like a factory supplying good well trained players to I-League and National Team.
I definitely love Indian Arrows team and supported them too,but I don't think it has much to offer in long term.Youth League is the way forward,its has been implemented in many big footballing countries and it is successful. <!-- s;) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" /><!-- s;) -->
If Indian football is dreaming big, much of the credit goes to Colm Toal who has been working with the age-group teams as the Technical Director in Goa since 2007. In a freewheeling interview to <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.the-aiff.com">www.the-aiff.com</a><!-- w -->, Toal stresses the Indian boys aren’t inferior to their Western counterparts. But they need to match the athleticism and the size of the higher-ranked teams.
Excerpts:
What’s your assessment of the boys and the teams you have coached so far?
In the last four years, I have been lucky to have worked with a lot of talented youngsters and a support-staff who have always been 100% supportive of the Programme. We have coached boys at all age-groups – from U-13 to U-19 and the results have been fabulous as he have had many promising batches graduating into the mainstream.
Indian Arrows have been our best team so far. AIFF’s decision to register an U-21 team in the I-League has been the most positive decision during my stint in India. It was frustrating to watch the talented U-19 boys fading away because there was no structure in the I-League to take care of them. And the entire credit goes to the Coach and the support staff that a team devoid of foreigners have done reasonably well. Let’s also not forget the boys are already a part of the Olympic squad and stay the future of the country.
From a Technical point of view where do you see the Indian boys in comparison to their Western counterparts?
I feel we shouldn’t be comparing our boys with their counterparts in Europe or North America. All I can tell you is that in 2007, we had a Training Camp in Germany where our U-16 team convincingly beat three Bundesliga Academy Teams. We beat Stuttgart, 1860 Munich and FC Augsburg by an identical 2-0 margin. In addition, in 2008 the same team travelled to England and drew 3-3 with Manchester United’s U-16 team. In none of these matches did we feel that the European boys were either technically or tactically better than us.
Are you satisfied with the skill level of the boys?
Every coach intends to improve the technical ability of his players and we are no different. The International matches we have played over the past 4 years have been an education for us. We have learnt the hard way that in comparison to Asia’s best, we need to improve. More than the technique, we need to match the size, power and athleticism of the higher-ranked teams.
Does the size of a footballer matter? Can teams with ‘smaller’ boys be successful?
During my stay in India, I have heard that we need to adapt our style of play to suit the ‘smaller’ Indian players. This is a wrong notion. There is no style of play that is going to make a ‘small’ International team successful.
In fact, we are working with the State Associations and concentrating on ‘bigger’ boys. Size is always a sensitive issue when you are dealing with young players but everybody is encouraged to believe that ‘if you are good enough you are big enough.’
What are the areas you stress upon?
We concentrate on the four areas that will help to develop our National Team -- physical fitness, technical ability, tactical awareness and mental strength. Unless you possess them, you cannot be successful in International football.
India is a vast country with many languages with the boys coming from different socio–cultural backgrounds. How do you communicate with them -- because not all speak and understand English?
Communication is an extremely important factor for coaches. Our coaches take turns from their own coaching duties and translate it for me. They enjoy this extra responsibility and feel they benefit from it. Jose Mourinho too, began his coaching career as a translator.
Each boy in the Academy is required to study on a daily basis for 2-3 hours. The medium of instruction is both English and Hindi. I’d say the tutors do a good job – the proof stays that the Indian Arrows boys don’t require a translator anymore.
How do you describe the support of the All India Football Federation?
Every National Academy needs the support of its Federation. I’d like to thank former General Secretary Mr. Alberto Colaco and his successor Mr. Kushal Das, both of whom have been very supportive of the Programme.
AIFF has stressed on the continuity process. It means the Programme needs to be continued at any cost. Now every team works on a two-year cycle in their preparation for U-16 and U-19 Asian Qualifiers.
In 2007 the U-16 team qualified for the Asian Championship. Do you see that batch or others graduating and moving out of the country and playing in some other domestic Leagues?
The U-16 team winning the Qualifying Group in 2007 stays our best result so far. To win a group that included Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Lebanon was a big achievement indeed. Thirteen boys from that squad are presently playing for the Indian Arrows which is based in Gurgaon.
Every chance we get, we talk about the importance of differentiating between winning and development. Results at this level -- in a National Academy, are important but not as important as producing players who would go ahead and make a meaningful contribution to our Senior National Team.
Sooner or later, we are going to have players who will play in a League outside the country. Till then, I hope they commit themselves to the National Team. Our National team can only be as good as the players in our I-League teams are.
If aiff wants spanish passing style football then how long are they going to keep colin, and dulpin for India's youth teams ?
bulpin train indian arrows to be fit for different style of games as he change the strategy of the team in each half.In one match which i saw, he was using long ball in first half while short passing style in the other. if this way of training continues,then why cant they continue their job.
Toal's silent revolution
“In 2007, we had a training camp in Germany where our Under-16 team convincingly beat three Bundesliga academy sides. In addition, in 2008, the same team travelled to England and drew 3-3 with Manchester United's Under-16 team. In none of these matches did we feel that the European boys were either technically or tactically better than us,” says Colm Toal, the man in charge of India's junior development programme.
- By Ayon Sengupta.
FIFA repeatedly emphasises on strengthening the youth development setup in every developing football nation. Colm Toal, the man in charge of that mission in India, which is ranked 145 in the world, has ushered in a silent revolution that might provide the impetus to the country's distant footballing dreams.
Under Toal's tutelage the Indian teams (Under-16 and Under-19) have done remarkably well and have made their presence felt in the continent. The teams have qualified for the age-group Asian Championships, humbling more fancied sides such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Lebanon.
Unlike the former senior National coach, Robert Houghton of England, Toal has preferred to stay out of the limelight and has concentrated only on the job at hand.
“India has many talented juniors and my job and that of my team has been to unearth them and impart the correct technical knowledge. The emphasis is on the wholesale development of the boys,” said Toal.
“In the last four years, I have been lucky to have worked with a lot of talented youngsters and a support staff who have always been 100 per cent supportive. We have coached boys from all age-groups, from Under-13 to Under-19, and the results have been satisfying. Now we have our boys playing in the National team as well as in many I-League sides,” he said.
Dismissing the myth about the difference in quality between the Indians and their European counterparts, Toal said, “I feel we shouldn't be comparing our boys with their counterparts in Europe or North America. All I can tell you is that in 2007, we had a training camp in Germany where our Under-16 team convincingly beat three Bundesliga academy sides. We beat Stuttgart, 1860 Munich and FC Augsburg by identical 2-0 margins. In addition, in 2008, the same team travelled to England and drew 3-3 with Manchester United's Under-16 team. In none of these matches did we feel that the European boys were either technically or tactically better than us.”
But Toal was quick to admit that the junior development programme had hit a roadblock of sorts. “Just before the 2009 Under-16 Asian qualifiers, 16 of our boys were caught for being over-aged and that affected us deeply. We did put up a spirited show at the qualifiers but the loss was too big to surmount,” he said.
Ready to deal with the problem of over-aged players at the very beginning, the AIFF (All India Football Federation) had made it mandatory for the players to undergo MRI tests before the 2011 camp in Goa. “All the players were thoroughly checked before they were admitted to the programme this year. And I should also add that after the 2009 embarrassment the level of awareness and honesty has increased. We had very few offenders this time round,” Toal said.
With two tough Under-16 and Under-19 qualifying rounds ahead in September and November respectively, Toal has set his sights on doing well at the Asian level again. “Qualifying for the main tournament would be our aim. But we know it won't be an easy ride,” he said. “Our lack of infrastructure is a hindrance for any long-term development. The top 10 Asian countries had set their infrastructure right 40 years ago. We need to bridge that gap as early as possible if we wish to fulfil any of our long-term goals.”
Taking a dig at the “success-only” policy of the I-League clubs, he said: “I don't want to embarrass the I-League clubs, but how many of them have academies or age-group teams. They are gunning for immediate glory but to sustain it in the long term you have to invest in youth. But most clubs here are yet to imbibe that culture.”
Toal, however, dismissed talks of taking over the senior National side, which has an interim coach in Armando Colaco after the premature exit of Houghton. “I am happy with the work I am doing and I want to continue doing this for a few more years,” Toal said.
“Taking over the hot seat has never crossed my mind,” he added.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.sportstaronnet.com/stories/20110609504803100.htm">http://www.sportstaronnet.com/stories/2 ... 803100.htm</a><!-- m -->