AIFF U-14 Football Fest
rudra
2958 Points
Kids, Kids every where, all of them to pick
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By Nilanjan Datta,
AIFF Media Team
KALYANI: Kids, kids every where, all of them to pick!
The size of the kids in the AIFF U-14 Football Fest, more-o-less stays the same. After all, they all are U-14 kids -- kids from 27 States all over the Country, 590 in all. And mind you, all of them share a common dream – the dream of representing the Nation someday in the future.
Head Coach, Youth Development Programme, Colm Joseph Toal stays an instant hit with all of them. The moment they see the white-haired gentleman, they come running, a desperate chase -- as if they are chasing the ball.
Most don’t carry mobiles at this age. Hence, the moment they reach, they look around to see if anyone can click them with Colm. Never mind if they don’t get a hard copy of the photograph; they will carry the memories lifelong.
The positive mindset that has been so synonymous with Colm stays evident. Colm shakes hands, asks them their name and which state they represent. Even as Colm signs autographs on their arms, the others who have spotted the conversation a bit late, are also running in.
“They are kids,” Colm exclaims. “Good kids,” he smiles.
Not all, but most know Colm by his name. “I know him. His name is Colm Toal. He is our India’s Head Coach for the Juniors,” Mizoram defender Michael Lalruattluanga is admired by the rest.
The others join in. “Which country does he belong to? And it goes on, till the time their Manager reminds them they are supposed to play next. The boys run again, this time to kick-off.
“Some of the kids have really impressed me,” Scott O’Donell, Technical Manager, Regional and Elite Academies, gets down to business. “We are here to spot talent. India is a vast country and the more boys we see, the better.”
By the way, O’Donell also stays an instant hit with the kids.
“Generally, from such a Fest, we select boys for the AFC U-14 Fests. But this time, we are looking to spot kids for the Regional Academies,” Colm adds.
The Kalyani Stadium, overlooking the vast lake, projects the most breathtaking view in Indian Football. The ground stays soft and lush green, something which AIFF Technical Director Rob Baan feels, “you can play European club-level football on.”
“We have over 30 full-size football playing fields within a radius of 7kms,” informs Dr. Pradip Sur, the Chairman of the Kalyani Municipality.
The enthusiasm at Food Court, where more than 350 kids can have their meals at one time, stays infectious. That stays the place where the kids mingle among themselves on the table -- different languages with different cultures and habits having the same meal together. And they just finish it off at one-go. You wonder – ‘Aren’t they supposed to have different food habits too?’
Outside the Food Court, you’d always spot some boys shaking a leg to ‘Waka, Waka…” They however, stand still the moment you spot them.
On the field, nevertheless, the spotting goes on. Besides, Scott and Colm, there’s National Coach Savio Medeira, Goalkeeping Coach Marcus Pacheco, former India Internationals Aqeel Ansari, Gautam Ghosh, Tarun Roy and Francisco Bruto da Costa and Hilal Rasool Parray – nine in all.
The day for the spotters, begin early. By 7.45am, they are all in their seats (matches go on in three different venues and kick-off at 8am) and once the day action ends around 4.30pm, they get down to a brain storming session which usually lasts around 90 minutes and often go down to extra-time.
Everyone tries to have a glance at the folders they carry. There are Jersey Numbers written on them with the names – some ticked, some crossed.
Kids, kids everywhere, all of them to pick. Early evening, there’s a chill in the Kalyani air. By the time they leave, the sprinkers at the Kalyani Stadium stay in full flow – watering the roots of the grass.
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By Nilanjan Datta,
AIFF Media Team
KALYANI: Kids, kids every where, all of them to pick!
The size of the kids in the AIFF U-14 Football Fest, more-o-less stays the same. After all, they all are U-14 kids -- kids from 27 States all over the Country, 590 in all. And mind you, all of them share a common dream – the dream of representing the Nation someday in the future.
Head Coach, Youth Development Programme, Colm Joseph Toal stays an instant hit with all of them. The moment they see the white-haired gentleman, they come running, a desperate chase -- as if they are chasing the ball.
Most don’t carry mobiles at this age. Hence, the moment they reach, they look around to see if anyone can click them with Colm. Never mind if they don’t get a hard copy of the photograph; they will carry the memories lifelong.
The positive mindset that has been so synonymous with Colm stays evident. Colm shakes hands, asks them their name and which state they represent. Even as Colm signs autographs on their arms, the others who have spotted the conversation a bit late, are also running in.
“They are kids,” Colm exclaims. “Good kids,” he smiles.
Not all, but most know Colm by his name. “I know him. His name is Colm Toal. He is our India’s Head Coach for the Juniors,” Mizoram defender Michael Lalruattluanga is admired by the rest.
The others join in. “Which country does he belong to? And it goes on, till the time their Manager reminds them they are supposed to play next. The boys run again, this time to kick-off.
“Some of the kids have really impressed me,” Scott O’Donell, Technical Manager, Regional and Elite Academies, gets down to business. “We are here to spot talent. India is a vast country and the more boys we see, the better.”
By the way, O’Donell also stays an instant hit with the kids.
“Generally, from such a Fest, we select boys for the AFC U-14 Fests. But this time, we are looking to spot kids for the Regional Academies,” Colm adds.
The Kalyani Stadium, overlooking the vast lake, projects the most breathtaking view in Indian Football. The ground stays soft and lush green, something which AIFF Technical Director Rob Baan feels, “you can play European club-level football on.”
“We have over 30 full-size football playing fields within a radius of 7kms,” informs Dr. Pradip Sur, the Chairman of the Kalyani Municipality.
The enthusiasm at Food Court, where more than 350 kids can have their meals at one time, stays infectious. That stays the place where the kids mingle among themselves on the table -- different languages with different cultures and habits having the same meal together. And they just finish it off at one-go. You wonder – ‘Aren’t they supposed to have different food habits too?’
Outside the Food Court, you’d always spot some boys shaking a leg to ‘Waka, Waka…” They however, stand still the moment you spot them.
On the field, nevertheless, the spotting goes on. Besides, Scott and Colm, there’s National Coach Savio Medeira, Goalkeeping Coach Marcus Pacheco, former India Internationals Aqeel Ansari, Gautam Ghosh, Tarun Roy and Francisco Bruto da Costa and Hilal Rasool Parray – nine in all.
The day for the spotters, begin early. By 7.45am, they are all in their seats (matches go on in three different venues and kick-off at 8am) and once the day action ends around 4.30pm, they get down to a brain storming session which usually lasts around 90 minutes and often go down to extra-time.
Everyone tries to have a glance at the folders they carry. There are Jersey Numbers written on them with the names – some ticked, some crossed.
Kids, kids everywhere, all of them to pick. Early evening, there’s a chill in the Kalyani air. By the time they leave, the sprinkers at the Kalyani Stadium stay in full flow – watering the roots of the grass.
Comments
Group A and B which consists of five teams each have been comprised of stronger teams based on sustained performance in the first couple of days.
All matches in this Format would be of one-hour duration which would have two halves of 30-minutes each. The teams would be fielding two different Playing XI in both the halves.
The Groups are as follows:
Group A: Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, West Bengal.
Group B: Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Chandigarh, Goa.
Group C: Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Bihar, J&K,Tripura.
Group
Group E: Delhi, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh.
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BEN : Indrajit Mondal-4, Sambit banerjee-2.
01.02.2012 : Bengal 1-0 Punjab (Kalyani)
BEN : Subham Chatterjee
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Trends -- they are meant to be broken. The chauvinistic male has always dreamt of wearing black. They still can, but the monopoly no more stays.
Chimchim Serto, presently on duty in the AIFF U-14 Football Fest in Kalyani, stays one among the 23 Women Referees in India at the moment. And as per Chimchim, “the gang is increasing.”
Col. (Retd). Gautam Kar, Head of Referees Department, AIFF, smiles. “They are most welcome. If they pass the Fitness Test, they are even entitled to supervise Men’s matches,” Kar, who stayed the Match Commissioner for Asia’s biggest Club-match in 2011, the AFC Champions League, maintains.
“When you have a Women’s Referee, it’s bound to draw more attention. But to me, the gender stays immaterial.”
“I dream of becoming a FIFA Referee soon,” 23-year old Chimchim, who hails from Manipur, quips. At present, Maria Rebello stays the sole Women’s FIFA Referee in India.
“I have represented Manipur as a striker in Women’s Nationals and have played at the University Level,” Chimchim, in her squeaky voice, informs.
On the field, nevertheless, the squeak is almost a roar. The supervision impresses her colleagues, Tamnay Dhar, Subroto Burman and Kunal Sarkar. “She is as good as any male referee,” stays the compliment. Chimchim blushes.
“As referees, we ought to have confidence in our colleagues all the time. And with Chimchim, we stay assured,” they say unanimously.
We turn to Chimchim. Do you have trouble with the players? “No.”
Do they try to look down on you being a Woman Referee? “Never.”
Do they listen to you? “No.”
Do they stay happy with your decisions? “Always.”
Referees and players being the best of pals – unheard off, but only till now.
“The Sporting Culture in Manipur helps one to groom as a sportsperson,” Chimchim, who recently got a job with Manipur Police, maintains. “My fitness regime begins early morning. There are various levels of sprinting. At first, I am supposed to sprint 150metres in 35 seconds. And it goes on.”
“Concentration is also an quintessential part of a referee’s lifespan. The discipline in life is always reflected on the field,” a philosophical Chimchim, playing with the ball in her hand, reflects. “A referee has to be a born leader,” she goes on. “I have some special exercises to improve concentration. You can call it a part of meditation.”
Her whistle blows and the match kicks-off -- you watch from a distance. Footballs being a body-contact sport, even at the U-14 level, tempers do run high. Chimchim rushes to the spot and her ‘roar’ takes over the rein.
The whistle blows again and the ball moves to the other part of the field. Chimchim sprints, and sprints fast. I check my earlier scribbles – ‘150 metres in 35 seconds.’
You overhear someone from the crowd speaking in the local dialect. “Mohila referee ta kintu bhalo khelachhen. (The Women Referee is supervising in the right manner.”
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This is exactly the reason why I think women's football will be better than mens
I dont think this is the best talent being selected for U-17 WC 2017 Program and Toal too feels the same :-
By Nilanjan Datta,
AIFF media Team
02.02.2012 : Bengal 1-3 Assam (Kalyani)
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75 boys were selected by nine selectors over a span of five days as the matches were played at four different grounds. Colm Joseph Toal, Head Coach, Youth Development, informed: “The selected 75 boys would assemble for a Selection Camp from the mid-week of March from which 30 boys would be selected. Those 30 boys would go on to represent India in the AFC U-14 Football Fest scheduled to be held in Kathmandu.”
Assam finished at the top with 80 points and were followed by Meghalaya on 75 points and Manipur on 70 points. Mizoram ended with 65 points.
so it is the NE boys who dominated the fest it seems