AIFF Media Team

 

MARGAO (GOA): Newly-appointed AIFF Technical Director Mr. Isac Doru met and interacted with the coaches of the national youth teams on Wednesday (May 22, 2019) in Goa, with India U-19 coach Mr. Floyd Pinto, U-16 coach Mr. Shuvendu Panda, U-15 coach Mr. Bibiano Fernandes and U-16 women's team coach Mr. Alex Ambrose taking part in the workshop.

 

Along with the coaches, National Teams Director Mr. Abhishek Yadav, Hero I-League CEO Mr. Sunando Dhar, Head of Communications and Planning - Scouting and National Teams Mr. Vikram Nanivadekar and Head of Coach Education Mr. Savio Medeira were also present for the same.

 

Over the course of the workshop, the Technical Director and the participants discussed the importance of synergy between the national team and the leagues, scouting process, planning, coach development, youth development, etc. 

 

He said, "It was great to interact with everyone as all the factors of the technical development in the country were brought together. We discussed ideas to create a platform to increase communication with the coaches and integrate the calendar of the national teams and leagues to make a vision for the next four years."

 

"It was my first time meeting the coaches and I am glad everyone was honest and shared their thoughts. Each one of us recognizes the importance of giving more games to the players and we will continue to work with the coaches and staff to ensure we continue moving upwards," he added.

 

National teams director Abhishek Yadav stated: "We have achieved some encouraging results in recent times at the age-group levels and have been improving steadily. With Mr. Doru coming in, we hope to accelerate the growth process and continue developing so that we can progress and achieve a higher status in Asia in the coming years."

 

Sunando Dhar spoke about the increase in the participation in the youth leagues, the academy accreditation process and the rise in the number of accredited academies, the introduction of the TW3 methods to measure bone age along with the challenges ahead.

 

"The youth leagues have been growing continuously, with the number of teams increasing each season. We are now looking to make a few changes and make the leagues a scouting platform for the national teams and so, it was great to get the feedback from the coaches for the same. We also plan to increase the number of matches for players at all levels and are looking forward to working with everyone involved and chalk out a roadmap for the coming years," he said.