Arunava about Football A look at football & the world through my eyes!
Related Articles
The LaLiga Academy on Saturday, April 13 announced a tie-up with Kolkata-based Calcutta Football League – Premier Division side Bhawanipore FC that promises to bring in Spanish flair and technique to grassroot football in West Bengal.
Designed by the Global Technical Director of LaLiga along with a team of experts across several countries, the partnership will also introduce analytics at the grassroot level to help the coaches and scouts.
The team of experts includes Miguel Casa who is the technical director of the LaLiga Academy Football Schools India.
Bhawanipore FC ProIndia Centre of Excellence has three principal verticals:
- Providing a structured and uniform football curriculum, created by the La Liga Academy, to AFC and LaLiga qualified
- Introducing Step Out Analytics, a company based out of Bengaluru which manages professional teams from the I-League. The company has already started football analytics from grassroots to youth levels. Step Out will hand over their analytical know-how to coaches and scouts to aid in the overall progress of Indian
- Introducing a professional television channel as a platform to showcase Academy matches, the AIFF Blue Cubs, and practice sessions across the country.
Srinjoy Bose of Bhawanipore FC said, “Bhawanipore FC ProIndia will have several player development centres across West Bengal, in various schools from several districts.”
“The AIFF scouts can handpick talents from these centres and take them to the Centre of Excellence. They will benefit from the LaLiga Academy curriculum as they are being nurtured for AIFF and IFA age-category tournament in the age group of Under-13 to 17,” he added.
According to Miguel Casal, Technical Director of LaLiga Academy India, , “This is a special tie-up because no one in India has ever thought of introducing professional analytics at the grassroot level. We are excited to contribute our curriculum to the Bengal football ecosystem. I am certain that the scientific approach from Bhawanipore FC ProIndia will be a powerful catalyst for the effective growth of football.”
Aparup Chakraborty, CEO, Bhawanipore FC ProIndia Academy, highlighted the strong Spanish influence in Indian football, especially when it comes to importing our coaches from the land of Xavi and Iniesta. “Several top teams in the Indian Super League (ISL) have Spanish coaches, who bring with them their tactical expertise and inimitable playing style. To structure this progression, the introduction of Spanish football methodology at the grass- root level is essential for early acclimatization. By familiarizing young players with the Spanish system from a young age, we can better equip them to adapt and excel under Spanish coaches later in their careers. This system will also help players avoid potential difficulties in adapting to a different system when they are 21 and at a crucial developmental stage.”
A co-founder of Bengaluru-based Step Out Analytics said: “No one in India has ever thought of introducing analytics at grassroots level. This will serve as a powerful catalyst for the growth of football.”
In essence, this project advocates for a more scientific and systemic approach to training young footballers. Integrating the Spanish philosophy from the grassroots can create a generation of Indian players who are comfortable and successful within that system.
