Football in India slipped when emphasis was laid on organising instead of grooming. The young were forgotten when the old thought the game will flourish if they took centre stage. As time flew by, standards kept dipping. Money dried up and football began to live on doles from FIFA. Despite the millions of dollars, the situation did not change. Instead, the slide continued till it was realised that the game needed to resuscitate from the grass roots. Talent had been trampled upon or stifled. There was place to breathe but no one to monitor.
So, the focus shifted back to grass roots. Today, the emphasis of All India Football Federation (AIFF) is on kids. Teams in the I league need to show spending on grass roots; teams in the ISL need to do the same. Academies are sprouting and so are tournaments in forms of leagues. It’s no more a story of all practises and no competitive play. The switch is not a metamorphosis. It appears to be real because after long it seems to be from within. After years, most are talking of grass root development. To many it means “ the talent in the young has to be harnessed. Let them learn to enjoy to play first and only then decide what they should play. Let the child and the sport grow together. Then, see the joy.
Grassroots football is still at a nascent stage in India. Actually, India is years behind. That explains why we are so far down the FIFA rankings. A start has been made and hence results should not be expected immediately. Pushing hard will be a path tread by the stupid. A lot of seeds will have to be planted until one begins to bloom.
We understand what grassroots football is all about. Actually almost everyone does. However, we know grassroots as conceptualised in the west. Yet, we have not found a way of integrating the concept with our socio-economic set up. Aping the systems adopted abroad is not helping. Money will be pumped in the ‘hope’ a world cup star will be born. It will never happen because football is not ingrained in us the way it is elsewhere. We can expect changes when we study and then adapt to our cultural fabric. The trial and error methods should be the first steps. Some in Goa thought declaring football as the state sport would help. It has not helped politically or otherwise because certain elements thought of developing their personalities instead. It’s akin to expecting Brazilians to master the Bharatnatyam.
Many believe starting football centres is the way forward. Many centres have been opened and none have come close to producing anything close to a star. GFDC boasts of 31 odd football centres. The government money spent is a shame. Money is not robbed but it’s is worse when money is wasted. This is happening because no effort is being put on evolving a system to track and then foster talent in Goa. For sure, football canters is not the way forward. Having a playing field and balls is one of the first right steps. Let the rest evolve.
Salgaocar FC, Dempo SC, Sporting Clube and now FC Goa are trying to find a surface to lay down grassroots. The seed capital is high but the rewards are equally reciprocal. Look at the way Sesa dreamed and drummed its football academy. It was the first step forward and the right one that too. Other teams can do it too. The style does not have to be the same. The intention has to be similar-giving honestly. In football, there is nothing better than a bunch of happy players.
Opening too many centres is not the answers. Providing platforms to play and enjoy playing is the starting point. Playing fields and balls can be the start. We then require scouts who can monitor these kids and select the best to go to the next level- academies. It is here that players start crystallising- future footballers start taking shape; parents start believing that football has a future.
FC Goa coach and football legend Zico was right in saying that grassroots in Goa can be thought with the getting together of Sporting, Salgaocar and Dempo. “The three have to come and plan together. It has to be a joint initiative. I don’t know how the clubs work but I am sure the three should be together.” Perhaps, even the GFDC centres could be integrated. In the end, this is an initiative for kids, for football.
One of the problems facing grass root football training is the need of policing. Enthusiasm fluctuates. The fluctuation is seen in people appointed to teach the basics. Consistency has to start and be steady from the start. There should be a rhythm from the beginning that will last to the end. This is missing in almost all the centres for grassroot football. Indian football suffers because it still needs policing. Somehow, policing has to start somewhere, at some time. We can start with self-policing.
Augusto Rodrigues is the Sports Editorial Consultant, The Goan Everyday
