KOCHI: Team building and game tactics intended to prepare football players for high-level competitions were the main focus area of a two-day refresher programme for coaches that concluded in the city recently. The training programme held at the Government HSS ground in Panampilly Nagar by Scoreline Sports Academy saw the participation of 30 coaches from various districts in the state. Guided by Kerala Santosh Trophy team coach and Gokulam FC technical director Bino George, the sessions saw both coaches and players of the academy taking to the field to grasp the intricate aspects of modern football.
“The nuances of the team training session, selection of players and game tactics were discussed during the classes,” said Bino. According to him, highly talented football players need to be coached properly at the grassroots level to remove psychological fears so that they can perform their best.
“Proper knowledge of the advanced concepts of the game will also help in improving the confidence of the players,” he added. The training session is the first programme that was organised by Scoreline Sports for its coaches after an eight-month-long hiatus due to the pandemic.
“The training programmes are vital to refresh and update our knowledge about football. The Covid situation has forced us to start from the scratch like building the fitness levels of the players and devising a training routine for them,” said Jayesh K, an AIFF D-licence coach at the Scoreline Sports Academy.
The football academy which has around 30 centres in the state is currently in the reopening mode, according to K Ravindran, development manager and AIFF match commissioner. According to him, the academy's plans to bring four UEFA licensed foreign coaches to train their kids in March 2019 had hit a stumbling block due to the pandemic. “Our idea was to provide specialised training to the players for a short period to develop their understanding of the game,” said Ravindran.
One team, one dream
Anil Kumar P, secretary, Kerala Football Association (KFA), who visited the ground to see training drills, explained the long-term goal of the football academy to develop their players and coaches. “Apart from conducting refresher courses on a regular basis, the academy with the backing of KFA will also be holding inter-state matches every two months to gauge the response of players to new training methods and ideas adopted by the coaches.
This process will also help us in finding coaches who could be recommended for the next level in their coaching career,” he said. According to Anil, the main objective of KFA in helping football academies conduct training sessions and tournaments are to find and develop homegrown football talents. “We should be able to contribute players to the national team as well as at the club levels. Proper support from the government is required for the same,” he added.