We will obviously improve if we have likes of Yan Dhanda and Danny Bath playing. Won't be a massive difference but small enough to make a small impact.
We lack popular faces and having someone playing abroad and for India will make people take up the sport more.
Explained: Indian football’s desperation for ‘overseas citizens’ and how it points at a systemic failure
Global trend
Dozens of nationality switches take place each year in football. The AIFF has been pushing for this because many of their opponents in the Asian and World Cup qualifiers have been doing it, thus having an impact on the results as Stimac pointed out.
Last year, Brazil-born Elkeson became the first player to be called up for China’s national team despite not having Chinese ancestry. The forward, whose Chinese name is Ai Kesen, gained the country’s citizenship via naturalization. Countries like Qatar too have adopted this policy.
Systemic failure
But these countries also have a robust system at home, which India still lacks.
While sourcing players from abroad can be a short-term fix, the constant and repeated push for this is also a reminder of the country’s systemic failure in developing youth players.
Sixteen years – the time period since the proposal was first made – is a long enough time to work on grassroots and churn out players. But the AIFF and clubs, jointly responsible for this, have fallen short on this front. Today, there are a handful of clubs and academies that invest in youth development, a non-glamorous task that requires heavy funding, takes several years for results, and requires patience.
At the moment, only a handful of clubs from the North East states, the Minerva Academy in Chandigarh and the AIFF’s academies are routinely producing players.
Edu Bedia, a midfielder who is the captain of Indian Super League side FC Goa, wrote on social media: “There is talk that it would be good to nationalise a foreign player to raise the level of the national team, but we must look more towards the long term. It would be more efficient and wise to invest in coaches and infrastructure in the lower levels. And in a few years, the growth and improvement in Indian football will be there for all to see.”
Most of the Indian clubs don’t know how long they will exist. AIFF cannot decided fixtures week before the season kick off. So there is no way you can expect any kind of long term plan from these guys.
Best example why India will never be capable of implementing structure to produce WC qualifying(Im talking about 48 team WC) is the Rob Baan master plan which is a hugeeee flop.
All those fans who are expecting 11 players from Indian system to make it big at world level are going to be disappointed. We have been talking, saying stuff for almost 14-15 years now.
In 10 years, we will become one of the best team in Asia. Baby leagues will provide the necessary talent for us. I am sure AIFF will definitely start longer youth leagues soon.
Baby leagues is good but its not a new concept. I mean i have seen in Bengal , we strt to play very early, without ofcourse any proper coaching. What would matter alongeith these leagues across India, is a strong and robust system of spotters.
The YLL Golden Baby Leagues, the brainchild of 8one Foundation was one of the first Baby League programs across the country. Over the last two years, they had unearthed some talented kids who were, in the process, roped in by eminent academies in the likes of Bengaluru FC, Reliance Foundation Young Champs, Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools – taking Indian Football Forward Together.
Isl clubs are definitely watching baby leagues. It is much easier to spot talent in baby league. Kids play in u8, u10, u12 teams. The progress of the kids can be seen. Also they play atleast 10 to 15 matches each season.
Comments
We will obviously improve if we have likes of Yan Dhanda and Danny Bath playing. Won't be a massive difference but small enough to make a small impact.
We lack popular faces and having someone playing abroad and for India will make people take up the sport more.
Explained: Indian football’s desperation for ‘overseas citizens’ and how it points at a systemic failure
Global trend
Dozens of nationality switches take place each year in football. The AIFF has been pushing for this because many of their opponents in the Asian and World Cup qualifiers have been doing it, thus having an impact on the results as Stimac pointed out.
Last year, Brazil-born Elkeson became the first player to be called up for China’s national team despite not having Chinese ancestry. The forward, whose Chinese name is Ai Kesen, gained the country’s citizenship via naturalization. Countries like Qatar too have adopted this policy.
Systemic failure
But these countries also have a robust system at home, which India still lacks.
While sourcing players from abroad can be a short-term fix, the constant and repeated push for this is also a reminder of the country’s systemic failure in developing youth players.
Sixteen years – the time period since the proposal was first made – is a long enough time to work on grassroots and churn out players. But the AIFF and clubs, jointly responsible for this, have fallen short on this front. Today, there are a handful of clubs and academies that invest in youth development, a non-glamorous task that requires heavy funding, takes several years for results, and requires patience.
At the moment, only a handful of clubs from the North East states, the Minerva Academy in Chandigarh and the AIFF’s academies are routinely producing players.
Edu Bedia, a midfielder who is the captain of Indian Super League side FC Goa, wrote on social media: “There is talk that it would be good to nationalise a foreign player to raise the level of the national team, but we must look more towards the long term. It would be more efficient and wise to invest in coaches and infrastructure in the lower levels. And in a few years, the growth and improvement in Indian football will be there for all to see.”
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-indian-footballs-desperation-for-overseas-citizens-and-how-it-points-at-a-systemic-failure-7257949/
Best example why India will never be capable of implementing structure to produce WC qualifying(Im talking about 48 team WC) is the Rob Baan master plan which is a hugeeee flop.
All those fans who are expecting 11 players from Indian system to make it big at world level are going to be disappointed. We have been talking, saying stuff for almost 14-15 years now.
The YLL Golden Baby Leagues, the brainchild of 8one Foundation was one of the first Baby League programs across the country. Over the last two years, they had unearthed some talented kids who were, in the process, roped in by eminent academies in the likes of Bengaluru FC, Reliance Foundation Young Champs, Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools – taking Indian Football Forward Together.
https://www.news18.com/news/sports/mizoram-village-leads-way-to-gender-equality-with-golden-baby-leagues-3005180.html
Mizoram Village Leads Way to Gender Equality with Golden Baby Leagues