It was from an online chat room circa 2000 that former national referee Arun K Nanu got the idea which brought about a revolution in Kerala football. “Why not start coaching kids when they are five or six?” a friend from Belgium asked Arun, while he was wondering about why India was not doing well in the sport.
The question led to Arun setting up football training centres in three rural areas in Kozhikode district in northern Kerala. It grew into a statewide coaching network the same year and has produced almost a dozen internationals since, including Rahul KP, the midfielder from Thrissur who will represent India at the U-17 World Cup next month.
“In the beginning, people were averse to the idea of starting that early. But the centres were so successful that we expanded it to two nearby districts within six months. And by 2004, we started the Sports and Education Promotion Trust (SEPT),” said Arun, who along with former FIFA referee Sethumadhavan C, coach Manoj Kumar MC and retired teacher VA Jose, founded the body.
Today, SEPT has grown into perhaps the widest football-coaching network in the country, boasting of around 2,000 trainees aged between 8 and 16 and over 100 coaches at 55 ‘football nurseries’ spread across 14 districts of Kerala.
The cream of the crop are picked for their residential academy at the Farook Higher Secondary School, where they receive systematic nurturing.At SEPT, the coaching is so refined and the talent so exceptional that renowned coach Lars Lagerback — who guided Iceland to their historic run in Euro 2016 — commented during the 2007 Dalecarlia Cup in Sweden that at least a couple of players from the winning SEPT U-11 side could walk into any youth team in the world.
“The success was instantaneous. Players like Hanan Javed and Anis K from the first batch of our academy were picked for India U-14 and received scholarships to train at the IMG Academy in Florida for nine months,” said SEPT chairman Arun. “In 2013, 16 of the 20 Kerala U-14 players for the national championship were from SEPT,” he added.
The trust has done what no other academies in the country will do: set up coaching centres at tribal villages — like Wayanad’s Sugandagiri — and giving a shot at life to children from underprivileged and marginalised sections by providing them food, shelter, formal education, and football coaching in a stable environment.
Youngsters like Devarajan ND barely knew how to write when he joined SEPT, but he is now in college and is also better at football. Gireesh Raju, who often went absent without leave due to severe homesickness while at SEPT, is now part of the Sports Authority of India’s Regional Football Academy in Thiruvananthapuram.
“Each player is a different challenge. It is not because we do something extraordinary that we are successful. It is our commitment and care for our players that makes us different. While most other academies have a result-oriented regime, our focus is on player development,” said SEPT head coach Manoj, a former Bank of India player.
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“There are no words left in the dictionary when it comes to the praise that we have received. But it has become a struggle to keep the academy afloat,” admits Arun. ONGC, GMR Group and Faizal and Shabana Foundation helped SEPT financially at the start, but the money has dried up in recent years.
“We have done okay, but I have to admit that we are not anywhere near our true potential. The infrastructure and coaching is fine, but malnutrition is the biggest concern. We have to spend around `35,000 on each player at the academy every year. But with a limited budget, a proper, balanced diet is not always maintained.”
Financial constraints have also cut short expansion plans. “Plans to start a college academy, as well as a club named Jaithra Kerala, are yet to come to fruition, which will result in many talented players dropping out after they complete school with us,” says Manoj.
SEPT has four players including Leon Augustine and Ajin Tom — who was also part of the India U-17 setup — at the Bengaluru FC academy. Mohammed Nemil and Mohammed Basith are now part of the Reliance Foundation Young Champs.But a good number of players fade into oblivion, lacking opportunities once they graduate from the academy.
“If we had the means, they could have continued their development here. But the reality is different,” Arun said. “We have approached most of the corporates, and football clubs like Kerala Blasters. We are open to collaborating with any good partner, but most of them demand success in the short term, which we cannot guarantee,” he added.
With no major sponsors, SEPT survives on donations from well-wishers and football lovers. “Our model has already proven to be a huge success. If this can be adopted by other states, there won’t be any stopping India in world football,” says Jose, who coordinates the football nurseries.
“Every year, we receive invitations to participate in tournaments in Europe. We have realised from our first batch that facing foreign opponents helps improve the confidence level of our players. But with the limited budget we operate on, we cannot afford to send new boys abroad,” said Arun.
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The story of Prem Singh Bohra perhaps best sums up the fortunes of SEPT. A wonderkid who captained Kerala at the U-14 level, Prem’s fledgling career was shot down due to no fault of his.
The boy left his family in Nepal for Kerala whe he was seven years old, and was adopted by SEPT for his football prowess. He was diagnosed with aplastic anemia in 2012.
A campaign helped source around `23 lakh for the youngster’s treatment following which he has now returned to the pitch. “But he will never live up to his full potential. He was one of the most talented footballers I had seen. His condition has improved, but he coaches kids when he should be playing football,” said Manoj.
But the show goes on at SEPT. Despite all the difficulties, the organisation continues to act as a conveyor belt for top-class football talent in the country, and is still the first name that comes to parents’ minds when they decide to enrol their kids at a football academy.“That in itself is what inspires us the most to keep fighting,” said Arun.
“We still harbour the dream of having a full-fledged residential academy with standardised coaching, gymnasium, doctor on call, and proper diet for trainees. After that comes a club of our own,” said Arun.
If they do become a reality, SEPT promises that it will be start of another revolution in the football crazy state.
adwaidh@newindianexpress.com