Thee ‘DreamChasers’ programme, which will aim to boost 15 young footballing aspirants into the big leagues of the world, is a breath of fresh air in the burgeoning grassroots football development scene in India. This programme, started by three retired army personnel, will pluck students from select centres across the country and put them into a five year residential programme. Their schooling will be done inhouse, at the prestigious school in Kolhapur and their stay will also be looked after.
They will learn their football from coaches provided by Sporting Clube de Portugal. Indian captain Sunil Chhetri, who had a stint in Portugal with SCP, is the brand ambassador of the DreamCatchers programme. The students will also spend a month a year in Portugal training at the club with children their age.
But for those from Goa who wish their children to vie for a place in this programme, there will be disappointment. Goa does not feature in the list of 10 cities across the country. The reasons for this are unknown. Since this is not a government sponsored programme but a private one, the choices are up to those who fund this. However, this does mean that we will have 15 great footballers coming out of this programme, which will surely boost the Indian team in the future. Goa might have a chance to jump on the bandwagon in the next few years perhaps.
