Every parent wants
their child to go to the best school in the city.
So how does a parent
know which is the best school for their child's education?
They would check on
the -
- the institution’s reputation
- the teachers
- the students / results / track record
- the values
Similarly parents
must also research about the football academies they send their child to.
Sports is a science
and so is football. The current level of football is miles ahead and different
from the football played 5 to 10 years ago.
Today’s top club player
is more intelligent, leaner, fitter and technically sound. These players spend
over 10,000 hours of training under a professional coach. They are confident
and can adapt to any position.
Your child’s time is
precious and you do not want them to go through their golden age of learning
without being taught the correctly. So before your sign up at an academy check
their credentials.
Ratings :
Avoid *
Okay **
Excellent **
Who is running the academy?
- Event managers or Marketing Agency *
- Single coach **
- Football Club **
- Football Academy ***
The Event managers and
Marketing Agencies are doing it solely for the money and to satisfy their
client. They do not care about the development of your child.
The single coach will stifle the growth of the child as he will limit his exposure.
The Football club are
looking for players for their teams, so if your child does not meet their
standard they may release him.
Academies will have a structured program and monitor the progress in a non stressful environment. Good academies will associate with foreign academies for technical knowledge.
Find out who is the
technical director, what are his qualifications (ideally UEFA/AFC) and track
record with youth development.
Who are the coaches ?
- Ex player *
- Foreigners / Indian with no qualifications *
- Licensed ***
Avoid classes that
have untrained or unqualified coaches be it Indian or Foreigners they will do
more damage to your child, especially foreigners as they are ignorant to the
needs of Indian children. Unqualified
coaches have no idea to train. Their classes will be 70% playing matches and the balance irrelevant drills,
the child will enjoy but will learn very little.
(Just because you studied in school does not
qualify you to be a teacher, you must do a teachers course to be able to teach. Similarly being
a player does not qualify you to coach)
Licensed coaches will
focus on the elements of the game and conduct their session age specific and to
a plan. Improvement will be guaranteed.
The football coaching
licenses you should look for is AIFF, AFC or UEFA.
What is the track
record of the academy ?
Questions you can ask
· Has the academy produced players for the national & state teams.
·
Have the academy team won tournaments
·
Have the academy coaches won tournaments
·
Is the academy recognized by the state & national body
·
Does the academy have a future map if he is a serious player?
If the answers to this is
yes then the academy is for your child.
What are the values
of the academy ?
· Does the academy have a vision, can your child be part of this vision.
· What is the ratio of coach to child. Ideally a Level 1 coach can handle not more than 12 kids.
· Does the academy give high value to the physical and mental well being of your child?
· Are the promoters of the academy qualified or just financial investors?
· Has the academy invested in coach development or do they take coaches from other academies unethically?
So parents, if you are looking
for the right academy for your child these are some of the questions you must be
asking.
Children will follow their coach make the right choice for him. Your child may be the next Messi, so provide him the right opportunity.
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Very rarely do you hear Bollywood children being Chief Guests and that to for a sporting event.
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