For many years, millions of youngsters in India’s metros have been warming to the shiny talents of European football, via the Premier League and many telecasts that dominate live sports coverage. Seeing this interest in their brands and eyeing a young fanbase, the likes of La Liga FC have established schools in the country. These, however, aren’t the only nurseries seeking to unearth an Indian footballing star. Bhaichung Bhutia, for one, has lent his name to a pan-India schools set-up. While not all the facilities have the financial wherewithal to transform the ecosystem, they do have the vision, and importantly, youngsters at their disposal willing to commit themselves to footbal
because of higher earnings and a window to Europe. For sports administrators, this is both a huge opportunity and a challenge — converting this football-craze into football-skill and producing the world-class Indian footballer.
The image of Virat Kohli screams out from billboards and TV screens but young eyeballs are locked on the artistry and dazzle of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Rolando. UEFA Champions League clashes are discussed threadbare live (sometimes, into the next day), managerial strategies debated endlessly. Round the year, football, not cricket, is talk of the town.
For a growing number of football-crazy youngsters (not just boys but girls too), the interest goes beyond just watching the game. It embraces the playing of it — well enough, hopefully, to impress a visiting coach or scout. “That, obviously, is the ultimate goal – and it doesn’t have to be La Liga,” says Vivek Sethia, founder and CEO of India on Track (IoT), of the dream to get more Indian juniors turning their ambition towards Europe.
India on Track is a sports management outfit that has tied up with international properties like La Liga, National Basketball Association (NBA) and Roland-Garros, to create the La Liga Football Schools (which runs 50-plus programmes across India, each out of a private school), NBA Basketball Schools and
