Soccer school plans league for street children

A private football body is set to popularise the game with a league planned exclusively for street children, another one for girls and a specialised training programme on the lines of the Football Association (FA) of Britain.
Indian Youth Soccer Association (IYSA), a non-profit making educational charitable trust, runs four programmes concurrently. Its 2003-04 season kicks off with the Super Soccer Academy (SSA) next month.
Now in its third season, IYSA's popular league for school students is also being expanded, with up to 500 children in 45 teams playing competitive matches on Sunday mornings for several months.
The girls' only league is another well-known initiative by the IYSA, where students from standard VII onwards compete amongst themselves.
But perhaps the most fascinating of the four IYSA programmes are the matches played amongst street children at India Gate every Thursday afternoon.
"These street children are provided by the Salaam Balak Trust, an NGO, and are mostly orphans," said Arup Das, secretary of the IYSA.
"This year, we intend to start a league for these children because we feel that like in Brazil or Argentina, the best talent comes from the poor background," said Das, one of the three co-founders of the association.
The others are Bill Adams, who is also director of coaching, and Bharatinder Singh, a sports medicine doctor with Max Healthcare here.
In October, the mini league for the small boys and girls will start with about 500 children making up 45 "mixed" teams as against 28 teams last year.
Matches will be played, like last year, at the two branches of Shri Ram School in New Delhi and nearby Gurgaon.
IYSA is looking for one more venue for its expanded league.
"This year, 25 matches will be played every Sunday morning. The league will last 18 weeks, until March next year, so we need one more ground," said Das, son of CII secretary-general Tarun Das, told IANS in an interview.
Ambuja Cements will be the main sponsor while there are several so-sponsors. Several more could be added this year.
Boys and girls play in mixed teams meant for students from standard II to VI. From standard VII or VIII onwards, teams of boys and girls compete in separate leagues.
The girls' league is another outstanding feature of IYSA's activities, with the teams being given attractive names such as Daring Divas, Sensational Sizzlers and Teen Tigresses.
This year's league will start in November with matches played on Saturdays.
Last year, Benetton sponsored the league but the IYSA is now looking for a new sponsor.
IYSA also provides coaching, including specialised coaching at its Super Soccer Academy (SSA).
At the SSA, modelled on the Centres of Excellence in Britain, about 20 students are given intensive coaching.
This year, a student seeking coaching will be required to pay Rs. 950 as the fee. But those who are exceptionally talented need not be disappointed because scholarships are also on offer.
Said Das: "We also give scholarships to those who cannot afford to pay the fee. We intend to increase the number of scholarships to about 10-12 this season."
There are 12 coaches in all to hone the skills of these children with Adams, a certified FA coach, overseeing the activities.