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IndianFootball.Com Interview: JORDEN BRAHMA WANGDI
Please tell us how the club came into being, its goals and objectives?
Friends, ex-players and football loving people all got together to form Nirvana FC. NFC's goal is to popularize the game amongst all the people. The motto of the club is "Enseņar y Aprender", which is Latin for "To teach and to learn".
Who are the key people behind the club and who are the owners of the club? What are the roles and responsibilities of the key personnel at the club?
Chairman - Mike Starkey (Merseyside, England)
Which league does the club play in and how have the results been so far?
How often and where do the players practice? Do they practice all year round?
The team is divided into various pockets across town and train separately on weekdays but the team get together as a whole unit only on weekends (at Dwarka Sector - 19 grounds) and yes we do practise throughout the year but there are occasional seasonal breaks.
What is the annual budget of the club and how does the club currently meet its expenses? Are there any key sponsors who are supporting the club?
It's a sensitive issue and we won't like to disclose it in public website with lots of viewers.
Please tell us about the club's activities with respect to popularizing football in the under-privileged children of Delhi?
Nirvana FC along with an NGO called "Aalari" had participated in the inaugural AFC Wanderland U13 football tournament. In this tournament the two teams from the NGO (Paite and Goyala) were first trained by NFC staff and then later managed in the tournament. Many of the children in the teams had never played football in their lives, so it was a good learning curve for the young kids.
How did Nirvana FC manage to get a UK certified coach when many other clubs struggle to get professional coaching staff?
What is the average age of the squad and where do you see the club in five years from now?
20 Years is the average age at the club (starting from 13 year olds to 26 year olds). We at Nirvana FC have set our goals really high and this season we have seen a lot of positives, so Delhi Soccer Association's Super Division could be on the cards.
Are players provided with enough information on diet, exercise etc so that they are able to take of themselves during the working week, when they are not practising together?
Nirvana FC has professional advisors online ready to assist us with our dietary and health related issues any time of the day. In addition, they come for annual check-ups of the squad.
How many different people do you have on the coaching side of things and what are their specific roles?
Along with Sam (Head Coach), we have three other coaches who have coached at academy/school level. Out of the three, one is an assistant coach at the club and the other two are academy and reserve team coaches respectively. The later two of the three assistant coaches are currently employed by some schools too.
How many different squads does the club have - i.e. Senior, Junior, etc.
Nirvana FC has three different squads. First Team (A-team), Reserve Squad (B Team) and a team (C Team) comprising of young talents (usually U-13), fresher's, ex-players and temporary players.
What are top five things (or more) that will make a dramatic impact in quality of football in India.
1. Introduce football at the grass root level. Build academies which teach football to 5-6 year olds!!!
How do you see the football culture in Delhi? Is football viable in Delhi? Will the school league under the Vision India project help?
People from Nirvana FC were involved in the 1st Wanderland Youth Soccer Cup. How do you see such youth projects for Delhi's football future?
Such projects can only benefit the status of football in the city. Wanderland has been a breath of fresh air for the game, this initiative taken by them was a huge success. This type of contribution was needed for a very long time. Nirvana FC has pledged to assist this organization with its every future endeavours.
What do you think about IndianFootball.Com and its work?
IndianFootball.com is undoubtedly the most read football site on the net. We are pleased to see that they try to cover every story concerning football in this nation which is not the easiest thing to do. I on behalf of NFC would like to thank this wonderful site for all the work it is doing for the popularisation of the game not only in India but around the globe.
Many, many thanks for all your work for the betterment of Indian football over the years and for the time taken to give us this interview!
[ IndianFootball.Com interviews ] © IndianFootball.Com 2007
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Football fans in New Delhi can be excused for their excitement. Close upon the heels of New Delhi Heroes being taken over by the Osian's Group, comes the news of the Ambedkar Stadium being renovated with floodlights, additional spectator conveniences and more. But at IndianFootball.Com we have used the excitement around football in Delhi to bring to our readers an interview with the Manager of a small football club which has dreams of making it big in the national capital. The Nirvana Football Club (http://www.freewebs.com/nirvana-fc/ and known as the Monks) have shown a lot of ambition and promise since inception. We hope you enjoy learning more about this under the radar club.
Being a very young club, we have not decided to join any league as of now. We want to build a successful squad before entering a more competitive stage. Though Nirvana FC has seen many positive results in there recent friendlies and is considering stepping into the big league within a season or two.
Sam (our head coach) is a very close friend of mine and being a NRI, he wants to help his homeland (as his parents were from the city). He saw Nirvana FC as the perfect platform to apply his knowledge of the game. Sam also works with the community club of Brentford FC.
Football in Delhi is definitely getting better; the youth in the city have started following the game now and a lot of positives can be seen, but its becoming harder and harder for the professional teams to exist. The money is still not there, the corporate groups are not getting involved in the sport which is very disappointing. The "Vision India" program is definitely a step forward and we will do everything in our powers to take the game forward as well.