<b>ORIGINALLY POSTED BY arsenalfan</b>
Right now we hear all these things. "The talent pool is to small" "The players have no education" "Speak English" Well that can be solved through using the colleges. We do that in America and it really is great.
The good thing about College Football (Soccer) is that kids who live in towns or cities with no I-League team can still join there college team and maybe if they do well can get drafted into the I-League. They would join I-League proven and with an education. Also if they dont make it they still have something to look back on.
It does not have to be all the colleges in India also. Just give a notice to around 200 colleges in India and if they want they can decide whether they want to participate or not.
Here is how it would work. Divide the colleges into North, South, East and West. And have it be a single table though. Then after around 14 games have the best 8 colleges from each conference go into a 32 team play-offs which take place a neutral venues and then do a 2-leg round of 32, then 2-leg round of 16, then 2-leg quarters, then 2-leg semi's, then a 1 legged Final that takes place at a I-League venue like Salt Lake Stadium.
After that during the I-League off-season we should hold a draft where the best 60 players from the College League are selected by I-League teams (5 College Players per team). The order would go like this, the first pick goes to 1st place in the 2nd Division from the previous season, 2nd pick goes to the 2nd place team in the 2nd Division, then 3rd pick goes to the 1st non-relegated last team from the previous season.
This way the best College players dont go to the good teams and thus would mean the College players would get more playing time in the I-League.
One of my classmate who used to play in defence shifted his concentration to studies in later years of school (So did I). With his technique, hieght and physic he had the potential to be a top defender (he was actually). But, like many boys from middle class families (may be it was pressure from family) he chose to be an engineer and now working in one of top Indian IT company. He told me there were many boys also in the college who could easily take football as profession. Now, if there is chance in the college life to rethink, it is possible some good prospects may join football. Presently, most of our players come from lower middle class or very poor back ground. Their social back ground is a hindrance to think big. So many of them waste their career due to lack of discipline and motivation. If boys from middle class get the opportunity to rethink about their career in college when they are little more free from parental control, I am sure many will pursue football instead a career forced up on them. I have very poor eye-sight that's why my father never supported my passion for football (despite being a football fan himself) but many boys from similar back ground dont have the problem. Just build up a system to draw talents from colleges and you will see what prospects are there. I dont want to humiliate anyone but a middle class boy with good education will have better vision and motivation than his counterpart from very low back ground.
i dont have many friends who are good enough for professional football but do have some in other sports mainly basketball and volleyball these guys were good enough to easily represent their states at least but due to lack of scope they are to do engg..
one way i think is all under 15/17 kids apply to play soccer in usa,they may learn proper way to play and manage training and if good enough get selected in MLS draft
one way i think is all under 15/17 kids apply to play soccer in usa,they may learn proper way to play and manage training and if good enough get selected in MLS draft
The MLS draft does not draft u17 and u15. You are only eligable for the MLS draft when you are either a junior (3rd year) or Senior (4th and last year) in college. That is why if you look at wikipedia articles for MLS players who got drafted you will see that all of them started professionally at the age of 21 (at least).
I think for the u15 and u17 kids there should be a u15 and u16 State League in each state (that has the funding to do so in which each school plays each other) at the end the best kids get selected for the AIFF-FIFA Academies. Of course though the issue arises of when they select the next batch.
i said they should apply for colleges and play then think of draft
Oh, well good luck to them. Getting onto the soccer team here is tough. I do think we have college students in India who can play in the NCAA College Division 1 but its to much hassel. You have to first apply for the college, go to the college and then you have to try-out for the team which will be tough for an Indian going straight from India to USA as I am guessing that Indian youngster will be overwhelmed by how the try-outs are done here, they are way more intense than u19 in India.
Comments
Right now we hear all these things. "The talent pool is to small" "The players have no education" "Speak English" Well that can be solved through using the colleges. We do that in America and it really is great.
The good thing about College Football (Soccer) is that kids who live in towns or cities with no I-League team can still join there college team and maybe if they do well can get drafted into the I-League. They would join I-League proven and with an education. Also if they dont make it they still have something to look back on.
It does not have to be all the colleges in India also. Just give a notice to around 200 colleges in India and if they want they can decide whether they want to participate or not.
Here is how it would work. Divide the colleges into North, South, East and West. And have it be a single table though. Then after around 14 games have the best 8 colleges from each conference go into a 32 team play-offs which take place a neutral venues and then do a 2-leg round of 32, then 2-leg round of 16, then 2-leg quarters, then 2-leg semi's, then a 1 legged Final that takes place at a I-League venue like Salt Lake Stadium.
After that during the I-League off-season we should hold a draft where the best 60 players from the College League are selected by I-League teams (5 College Players per team). The order would go like this, the first pick goes to 1st place in the 2nd Division from the previous season, 2nd pick goes to the 2nd place team in the 2nd Division, then 3rd pick goes to the 1st non-relegated last team from the previous season.
This way the best College players dont go to the good teams and thus would mean the College players would get more playing time in the I-League.
The MLS draft does not draft u17 and u15. You are only eligable for the MLS draft when you are either a junior (3rd year) or Senior (4th and last year) in college. That is why if you look at wikipedia articles for MLS players who got drafted you will see that all of them started professionally at the age of 21 (at least).
I think for the u15 and u17 kids there should be a u15 and u16 State League in each state (that has the funding to do so in which each school plays each other) at the end the best kids get selected for the AIFF-FIFA Academies. Of course though the issue arises of when they select the next batch.
Oh, well good luck to them. Getting onto the soccer team here is tough. I do think we have college students in India who can play in the NCAA College Division 1 but its to much hassel. You have to first apply for the college, go to the college and then you have to try-out for the team which will be tough for an Indian going straight from India to USA as I am guessing that Indian youngster will be overwhelmed by how the try-outs are done here, they are way more intense than u19 in India.
I think they are US Born but have origins in India