A near-professional U-15 football team in the making

  • | Monday | 16th July, 2018

The coming week, Hyderabad Football Academy (HFA) would become the only sports school in the city to have an under-15 football team that would exclusively play for it. The U-15 team would, however, be trained throughout the year. The HFA that feeds talent to Kerala Blasters also hopes to make its U-15 team rise to professional standards. We want our U-15 team to play 11-a-side matches (11 players on each side),” Mr. Dasari said. “The U-15 team will also play against children from different backgrounds.

more-in The coming week, Hyderabad Football Academy (HFA) would become the only sports school in the city to have an under-15 football team that would exclusively play for it. Besides, the team would play for the academy in league matches at the national level approved by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The U-15 tournaments hosted by the AIFF include Indian-league (I-league). The team would be selected from a group of children who are already being trained at the academy. The HFA holds three regular training sessions for children in a week. The U-15 team would, however, be trained throughout the year. According to HFA director Tejo Ananth Dasari, the team would start playing at the national level in 2019, after completing over six months of training in Hyderabad. “When they play in national tournaments, they get more exposure and their game improves. It also helps them improve their discipline and performance. Each of the States in the country, including Telangana, has about 40 U-15 teams, though a very few play at the national level. Each professional football club in India too has U-15 teams as they work as talent pool for the club,” said Mr. Dasari. The HFA that feeds talent to Kerala Blasters also hopes to make its U-15 team rise to professional standards. “In Europe, U-15 players get to play a lot of matches at the national level. Our aim is to develop the same culture here,” Mr. Dasari explained. The academy organised an U-14 and U-16 tournament in 2017 in which 22 teams participated. “Children who have talent should be encouraged to play league matches nationally as it makes them feel like a professional in some way. We want our U-15 team to play 11-a-side matches (11 players on each side),” Mr. Dasari said. Most children’s football matches are held with five or seven players on each side. “The U-15 team will also play against children from different backgrounds. Students from government, private and public schools should play together so that we get to see the talent from rural districts too,” Mr. Dasari said. The academy that was founded in 2014 also hopes to run residential facility for its team. “We hope to set up residential facility and develop our own ground in two years,” the HFA director said.

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