Has India found it's La Masia?

Have you ever wondered how players like Messi, Ronaldo, Drogba, Kagawa make it to the centre stage? Well for one thing, they start off young. In most football frenzy countries training begins at a very young age. In India, it is a different case altogether. Football is a sport that has yet to tackle the problem of development and growth at the top most levels. The issue of development at grassroots level is completely overlooked. A country with the population of 1.2 billion is yet to produce a football star to compete at the top most level of international football. India’s FIFA ranking (173) gives one further proof of the state of football in India. Having qualified for the tournament in 1950, the state of football in the sub-continent has only deteriorated ever since.

One may wonder what has caused this downfall and the lack of growth and development in the beautiful game at all levels. The lack of investment in the sport, failure to train players at a young age, lack of infrastructure and professional training are a few major issues that are responsible for lack of development? Pope Francis once said that “We live in a world, in a culture, where money worship reigns.” Same applies for football; a sport like any other, which needs monetary backing in order to take one’s game at professional levels. Most professional footballers have had training and coaching that trains them and enhances their knowledge to a level that can only be attained under professional guidance. Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Valdes, Busquets, Fabregas, Pedro, Puyol and Pique are all products of La Masia – Barcelona’s youth academy; these players were a part of the “Golden era”, a squad which won 14 trophies in a span of 4 years. This is the prime example of a squad that was trained, developed and conditioned to play together; all of which started at a young age.

Professionals like Messi, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta have received a professional training at a very young age. It’s something that gave their learning process a big boost, as they were able to cover the basics earlier and perfect them as well. The question remains, do we, in India have anything like this done for those who are unable to afford a professional training at grassroots level? Yes – SEPT is an NGO which nurtures the talents of tomorrow. Working on the grassroots level of Kerala football, the organisation helps over 2000 kids in a single year. Their selection process is attended by over 20,000 children between the age of 8 and 14 every year. Established in 2004, the Ngo has helped players reach heights that one could only dream of at the time of its establishment.SEPT has shown India that training the players at a young age is the key for development of football. The largest football nursery in India had trained 16 of the 20 members of the 2013 under-14 Kerala state team. India’s first and only football nursery aims to become the premier breeding ground for football in the country, they plan to do so by providing training of international standards and providing necessary amenities to talented children from sub-urban, rural and tribal areas of the country. SEPT has opened up 52 centres in the state of Kerala in 13 districts which have granted opportunities for young prodigies to excel in the mainstream sporting arena. SEPT was established with the mission to identify football talent among children from rural and tribal backgrounds and nurture them to reach international levels. SEPT is not just responsible for the success of its students at the national level but also at the international level. 11 players represented India whereas several students won scholarships at different prestigious institutes ranging from Tata Football Academy to Celtic Academy – yes that’s right, The Scottish Premier League Club. SEPT is not just an NGO that helps in the short term development of budding talents but ensures that the less privileged children have an opportunity of shaping their career as well.