Minerva Academy is going to conduct trials in the Northeast of India. The footballing hotbed is basically the backbone of Indian Football and has given birth to many Indian football greats like Baichung Bhutia, Sunil Chettri and Sanju Pradhan.
The trials will start February 28, 2020 in Chandel District of Manipur and over the course of 10 days will be held across the state. The shortlisted participating players will be called to Imphal, Manipur for the final selection which will be held on March 7, 2020. The main focus of this trial is to attract some of the best talents from across the state. Aspirants will be tested on their performance in match situations, technical skills, tactical awareness and physical ability.
Speaking on the announcement of the trials, Minerva Academy owner Ranjit Bajaj said, “This initiative gives us an opportunity to provide an ideal football-only environment for promising youngsters to develop their potential to the fullest. We not only provide intensive training but also, we focus on all-round development of the player with formal education. We have won 6 National titles in every youth age group category (U-13 Sub Junior league, U-15 Junior League, U-18 Elite League) in the last 4 years and produced over 75 players for different age grouped National Teams in just 5 years.”
“The scouting of the youth players from all over the country to their training in the academy – all have contributed to this success of Minerva Academy. Six youth National league titles in four years reflects success the level of youth development of Minerva Academy. We are the only Indian club (Minerva Punjab FC) to win National league titles in every age group categories and we have won the U-15 Hero Junior League title for a record four times. From these achievements it is clear that we emphasise on total youth development.”
“Now is the time to take things to the next level. If we are dreaming about becoming a top footballing nation and if we dream to see India play in the World Cup we have to nurture the kids from the age of six years, because these kids are our future. In the Minerva Academy, we have a World Cup batch that consists of players of 9 and 10 years old. This time we are thinking about scouting players of the age of 6 years old and preparing them for the future. The idea behind this is to create a pool of talented young players who will represent India in continental and world stage in future.”
Placed below is the schedule for the trials:
The eligibility criteria for a player is that he must have been born between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2014.
The participating players will need to carry the following during the time of trials:
- Birth Certificate issued by Government authorities (Original and a copy).
- Copy of Aadhar Card or Passport
- 2 nos. Passport size photograph
- Full personal playing kit