Eminent footballing personalities attend the launch of Shaji Prabhakaran's book on grassroots development
THE WHO'S WHO of Indian football descended at Le Meridien Hotel in Delhi today for the launch of a book dedicated to grassroots and footall development.
Shaji Prabhakaran, a FIFA development officer for South and Central Asia, took his 2 decades of unique experience as somebody who has worked in different capacities with football and compiled them into a book - called Back to the Roots, published by Roli Books - that is supposed to serve as a definitive guide to developing the sport at every level. Attending the launch of this potentially path-breaking book were AIFF Vice President Praful Patel, former Indian international players Bhaichung Bhutia, IM Vijayan and Jo Paul Ancheri, and numerous other personalities closely related to the sport.
Talking about the relevance of this book, Bhaichung recounted his own experiences from his days as a young player,
"Back then junior footballers didn't have much exposure. When I was growing up, I got to play only one U-16 tournament. I asked Vijayan about this, and he said he didn't play any U-16 or U-19 tournament because the Indian junior team did not play any competitive games during his time... if budding players don't play enough games against quality oppositions, they don't grow as a player."
The AIFF President Mr Patel highlighted the work on grassroots that has taken place in the recent past, and the positive response it has generated in the junior leagues,
"Today, we are getting 50 teams in the U-16 I-League. That's up from 8 or 9 from few years before. A lot of infrastructure has come up in this country, and not just around the FIFA U-17 World Cup that we will host next year... we have launched a grassroot initiative called Mission 11 Million, which aims to reach out to 11 million kids before the U-17 World Cup takes place next year. All this is just a start."
The author, Mr Shaji Prabhakaran, outlined the reason he set out to write this book,
"It has been an incredible journey for me. I started as a daily labourer in football making two dollars a day, and I have come very far... football has allowed me to travel to different parts of the world, and I have seen how the sport affects the lives of people in the farthest corners of this and other countries. There is a lot of footballing talent that goes untapped in these regions. Which is why I decided to write this book, chronicling my experiences and suggesting practical solutions to the different challenges that come with trying to develop football at the grassroot levels. If this book inspires or guides anyone to undertake this incredibly important task, I will consider the effort to be a success."
The panel discussion that followed the speeches covered a vast range of related topics, including the wide ranging effects of these grassroots development efforts. Bhaichung Bhutia talked about how the U-17 national team that will play in the World Cup next year is a result of a concerted grassroots effort,
"They went state to state, conducting trials and picking the best of players. And you can see the result. Recently they played Brazil and some of our players were as good as theirs."
Mr Patel claimed that Indian football is on a path of growth and there will be many benchmarks to elevate the development operations to the next level,
"The U-17 World Cup next year won't be a one-off. After that we want to host the U-20 World Cup. And then the Club World Cup. We want to have a definite path for growth for us in this long journey."
All panelists acknowledged the work of Mr Prabhakaran in working towards the growth of the sport, and the value his book holds for anyone who wants to engage in the development of the sport.
