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IndianFootball.Com Interview: TAPAN ROY
Please tell us about how Mohun Bagan AC came up with the idea of setting up a football academy and how did SAIL become a partner in this project?
Mohun Bagan AC, being the National Club of India, think that the standard of Indian Football can only be improved by nurturing our grass-root talents, through setting up of football Academies in India where the basic skill and other essential requirement for professional football can be taught systematically. The contribution and glorious history of our Mohun Bagan Club in National and International field for the last more than one hundred years still is a dream of common people of Bengal and by setting up of football Academy - the Mohun Bagan Club aims to fulfill the social responsibilities too.
What are the roles of the two partners (Mohun Bagan and SAIL) in this project?
In this project the role of SAIL is to provide accommodation for young footballers, office space and accommodation of coaches and other supporting staff. The beautiful and lush green area at Durgapur has been provided by SAIL at free of cost. They also provide us the football ground hereby for day to day training, swimming pool etc.
Why was Durgapur chosen as a location? Why not Calcutta the home town of Mohun Bagan?
In which year did the MBSFA commence operations and how many trainees have graduated since?
The Academy started functioning from 20th July 2003. 15 graduates were released in the 1st batch in 2007 and are playing in different clubs of India.
What do you look for in a potential trainee? How many years does a trainee stay at the Academy?
We look for the basic skills viz - the capacity of passing, ball control, dribbling, general intelligence and understanding, and the ability to make the correct decision at the correct time. A trainee stays in the Academy for about 3-6 years.
How many trainees train at the Academy at any given time?
40 to 45.
Please describe the average day in the life of a trainee from the morning right through to evening? What kind of facilities are provided to the trainees?
Nutritious food.
Apart from the football facilities, we have a reading room, a computer room where the students are given computer education in the evening, a class room, and a common room with facilities for indoor games like chess etc.
Do all trainees live at the Academy or are there some day trainees too?
The Academy is fully residential.
What kind of skills are taught to the trainees through the years of training at the MBSFA?
The demands of the modern football, i.e. to be professional footballers with sound technique, High degree of physical abilities tactics and mental preparation. All these qualities are taught to this Academy at the right age
What kind of coaching and support staff has been hired at the MBSFA to ensure that the trainees benefit from cutting edge football training?
Support Staff:
You have a Brazilian Technical Director in Luiz Greco. What ideas has he brought from Brazil to the Academy?
The famous football Expert from Brazil Prof. Luiz Greco has taken the charge as technical Director of Mohun Bagan SAIL Football Academy. Mainly the idea he wanted to introduce over here, is to bring up our Academy on professional lines and also to prepare Indian footballers to become professional footballers, who can compete in the International Level. We have quite a few international assignments coming up. We plan to travel to Brazil this December, have a month long residential camp at a top football club over there and participate in an International tournament in Brazil.
Who are some of the most famous graduates of the MBSFA? Are there any young superstars of the future that the football fans should be aware of?
Shankar Oran, Safar Sardar (both now with Chirag United SC) are some of the famous graduates of the academy. Young Stars at present are Juala, David, Sanjoy Boro, Tirthankar, Suman amongst others.
Please list 5 things or more that you think will improve Indian football?
1. Professionalism should be brought in all departments, right from the coaches to the Administrators.
2. The All India Football Federation should have a proper Youth football Calendar for the U-14,15,16,17 age groups and organize tournaments at the local, state and national levels.
3. Every professional club in India should have youth setups/academies. MBSFA is there as a model to them.
4. Sports and especially Football should be promoted in School level. We should have a very organized School league structure too.
5. Federation should organize more International Tournaments; bring in teams from South America, Europe and our Indian team should compete regularly with them. The Indian team tour to Portugal was indeed a good one.
6. Finally, the Government should invest more in the football infrastructure to develop our grounds, gyms, and stadiums etc.
Are there any plans to expand the intake or set up another such academy at any other place in India?
Not at the present time.
What do you think about IndianFootball.Com and its work?
Your website is doing a splendid job, bringing Indian Football close to the hearts of football lovers all over the world. I also heard that you regularly take part in football development activities and had helped in organizing foreign trips for the Indian team earlier. I would like to congratulate you and ask to continue your good work...
Many, many thanks for all your work for the betterment of Indian football and for the time taken to give us this interview!
[ IndianFootball.Com interviews ] © IndianFootball.Com 2007
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Even non-football fans in India are familiar with the name of Calcutta giants Mohun Bagan Athletic Club. Mohun Bagan AC are not only India's oldest club but the oldest club of the Asian continent. Our series on Youth Development would be incomplete without getting to know more about the youth development plans and more about the Mohun Bagan SAIL Football Academy where India's National Club is busy unearthing and polishing talent for the future. We were fortunate and are grateful for Tapan Roy, Director of the Mohun Bagan SAIL Football Academy, who made time for IndianFootball.Com and provided a peek into the world of the Mohun Bagan SAIL Football Academy.
Durgapur was chosen as a location because the facilities available at Durgapur are really beautiful. The ideal place for training of football without investing any initial expenditure by Mohun Bagan Club and after all the industrial houses like SAIL also came forward to develop Indian football and that's why Durgapur waschosen as venue for the Academy. At Calcutta, we would have faced the ground and accommodation problem, Durgapur is also not very far from Kolkata only 3 hours journey by Rail / Bus (158 Km). The popularity of Mohun Bagan Club popularity in this region (south Bengal) that is Burdwan, Bankura, Birbhum, Purulia (70% to 80% of football followers are supporters of Mohun Bagan Club) was also taken into consideration. We also felt that it would be ideal, if we could train the young prodigies away from the hustle and bustle of Calcutta life. A serene place like Durgapur was thus the obvious choice.
2½ +2½ hours training average per day divided in two sessions. Six days in a week. The following facilities provided to the trainees: -
Technical Director - Luiz Greco (Professional Coach from Brazil, coming from Cruzeiro)