Mahogany Football Club said it will have a headstart — teams from the club have taken part in the two previous editions — when compared to other city-based teams when the All India Football Federation youth league begins here. While the U-13 begins on October 28, the U-15 starts on October 26.
Speaking at a press conference here on Thursday, Arindam Biswas, Mahogany FC’s head coach, said the club hopes to top the groups and qualify for the next round.
“We are well prepared. In U-13 we are keen to top the Group and in U-15 there will be tough competition.
“We have built a new squad and hope to make it to the next round,” said Arindam.
He said the club is improving with every passing year in terms of coaching and spotting the right talent, but facilities for training have been a problem.
“We don’t have our own ground. We are sharing the SSN College grounds for practice with Chennaiyin FC,” he said.
“But we also train at DB Jain College, which has been a great help for us.”
Big boost
Arindam said with more clubs from the city taking part in the youth league, it will provide a big boost for the sport.
“This year there are five more clubs (Chennaiyin FC, Chennai City FC, Football Plus, Raman Vijayan Soccer School & Oyabbo) in the fray. It becomes interesting. Children in Chennai will have a very good platform. This will propel them to a professional career in football. It is a huge achievement to be a part of it,” he said.
The club, according to Arindam, in order to stand up in the longer run and grow along with others, needs a good team of coaches and administrators and that effort will be reflected in the next five to 10 years.
“Our challenge is to step up our level where we are attractive for any kid to join us. To become attractive, we are organising ourselves better, being more professional,” he said.
“We need ₹3 crore by next year to develop our teams in five age-group categories (u-9, 11, 13, 15 &18).”
