The 17 Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu coaches and several Chennai Football Association senior division coaches, who took part in the two-day coaching clinic conducted by Inter Milan, called it “modern and scientific.”
According to them, the clinic, which concluded at the Nehru Stadium on Thursday, mixed recreation with drills, making it a memorable experience.
SDAT coach V. Sethurajan, while terming the programme “excellent”, felt that the clinic would have been more beneficial had it been held for the slum boys.
“For the kids who attended the classes here, education is the first preference. However, for the slum boys whom we coach and adopt similar methods, football is the top priority,” he said.
The coaches said they were told that the right age to start playing football was six as it would help the boys become complete players physically by 12. However, the coaches said most kids in India begin only at 12 or 13.
For instance, in Tamil Nadu, parents are not keen to allow their children to start playing at six. “It will not happen here,” said Sethurajan.
Top class Another SDAT coach, M. Muruhuvendan, said the clinic was a “wonderful grassroots” programme. “Their (Inter Milan coaches) organisation was of high class. Their body language and the way they mingled with the boys was good,” said the AFC ‘B’ licence holder.
“It was different,” said R. Johnson, chief coach of first division club Netaji FC. He added that the use of mini-hurdles, and flat, towering cones was innovative.
P. Rajeev, Tamil Nadu’s assistant coach in the Santosh Trophy recently, said the Inter coaches used quite a few fun games during the exercise drills to make it more enjoyable for the kids. “It was a great experience,” he said.
For most of the coaches, the only regret was that the clinic was too short. However, it is learnt that the Inter coaches will return for a week-long camp in June-July.
