Bharat FC launch youth academy ‘Junior Lions’

Bharat FC’s youth academy will be known as Junior Lions

Bharat FC launched their youth academy in an elaborate ceremony at the Bharati Vidyapeeth’s college of medicine’s auditorium on Friday evening. The youth academy, titled the Junior Lions, was declared formally open by Barry Knowles, head of Bharat FC’s youth development program, Stuart Watkiss, head coach Bharat FC first team, Mrs Deeksha Kalyani, director of the Kalyani School and Kunal Agarwal, director Bharat FC.

The Bharat FC youth academy will have four teams under its wing in the first year. Apart from the Bharat FC under-19 team, the academy will also train its under-15, under-14 and under-10 team for the 2015-16 season.

The youth teams of the Bharat FC youth academy will hold their training sessions at the Bharati Vidyapeeth’s football ground, the club’s current training base. The under-15 and under-19 teams have already begun training under Barry Knowles.

The Bharat FC under-15 team was formally welcomed as part of the club with each member of the team receiving playing kit at the hands of a Bharat FC first team player.

Barry Knowles, one of the most respected youth coaches in England, will be heading the youth development program and the 55-year-old took parents, academy managers and the youth players through a presentation that detailed exactly what the club wanted to achieve through its youth program.

“A youth development program is one of the most important pillars in a successful football club. Here at Bharat FC we plan to put in a comprehensive setup, one that is devoted to the growth of young talented footballers. Everyone at the Bharat FC youth academy believes in this project. Our aim is to create well-rounded, technically adept footballers who have it in them to succeed at the highest level,” he said.

Creating a steady supply line of talent to the Bharat FC first team is one of the top priorities for Knowles and the youth academy. “We want to create players who are hardworking, diligent but at the same time can win football matches in style. At the Bharat FC youth academy, a lot of emphasis will be laid on doing things the right way. Concentrating on small but important things. If you have a good base of training, you can always get the maximum out of your talent and that is something that I have managed to extract from every youth program that I have run,” said Knowles.

Amit Kalyani, Executive Director of the Kalyani Group, said that the establishment of the youth academy was in line with the club’s philosophy. “Right from the outset we spoke about improving the standard of football in Pune and in India. The youth academy is the first step in our journey towards this goal. Nurturing and empowering talent to express itself at the highest level is something that we are committed towards and today’s academy launch reaffirms our commitment towards Indian football,” he said.

Bharat FC’s head coach, Stuart Watkiss, said the launch of the youth academy was a milestone in the club’s short but lively history. “There have been so many things going on behind the scenes at this football club. A lot of people have worked hard to get things going the right way. The youth academy is a massive step in the right direction. We have the right coaching staff, Barry Knowles is a formidable force in youth development and we have managed to attract some very talented young players too. If we do this right, the sky is the limit for this club,” he said.

Deeksha Kalyani, director The Kalyani School, said that it was a moment of pride for the school and a massive boost to the promotion of sport in Pune. “It is our privilege that such a high-quality youth academy will be operating out of our school’s premises. Sport is something that is inclusive and football’s popularity is increasing by the day. I am sure every student of the Kalyani School will benefit from this initiative and I hope to see a few of our students don the Bharat FC senior team’s jersey,” she said.