By Joseph Solomon,

AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: Aiming to widen the player development pyramid whilst harnessing Grassroots Football through tutoring Grassroots Instructors and Coaches who in turn will build Grassroots Football in their respective zones, the Hero I-League Grassroots Workshop kicked-off at the AIFF HQ in Dwarka, New Delhi yesterday (September 14, 2015).

The Workshop is being conducted by AIFF’s Technical Director Scott O’Donell and is slated to conclude on September 16, 2015.

31 Grassroots Instructors and Coaches from various Hero I-League and 2ND Division Clubs participated in the Workshop, which is engineered to be in tune with the FIFA and AFC Grassroots philosophy.

Talking exclusively to www.the-aiff.com Gumpe Rime, Head of Youth Development Shillong Lajong, who also stays one of the participants stressed on the need of Grassroots development and said, “To take Football forward in India we must work on the Grassroots and generate interest amongst the young crop”

“This will not only enable us to uncover talent, but will also help in community development alongwith extending the outreach of Football in India”

A rich Grassroots development plan can gradually act as a feeder of Players for the Clubs in the long run; which also gives Clubs an opportunity to mould and develop Players in tune with their philosophy and >

“This provides the whole setup of a Club to train in a particular way, under one philosophy and other technicalities”

“Grassroots stays the strength of Indian Football and we must harness it to become an efficient Footballing body”, quipped Rime.

The Grassroots Workshop also enables the participants to exercise what they have learnt in the classroom on the Football pitch, as it includes theoretical as well as practical sessions with kids of various age groups.

“The information that I have garnered through this course will certainly help implement an able Grassroots structure way back in Goa”, Salgaocar's Umer Mutawalli told www.the-aiff.com. 

“You get to learn so much from Workshop such as these, helping you to successfully conduct a Grassroots Festival, which is the way to generate interest among the young crop”, he added.

“Passion stays the key for working as a Grassroots Coach”