Inteview with Shubham Garg: Founder of Youth Soccer League Organisation

The story of football in India is an intriguing conundrum. Despite the country possessing the largest youth base in the world, scores of who follow the sport religiously and possess latent talent for the game, the country continues to struggle competitively on the international arena and punches well below its weight. Lack of playing opportunities for youngsters, no organized system in place to encourage competitive youth football etc. have been cited as the culprits.

When Shubham Garg, an ardent football player and aficionado from Rajasthan was in school, he encountered the very same problem. Choosing to take matters in his own hands and tackle the problem head-on, he decided to do something to change the scenario of youth football in India. Out of that bold and enterprising decision was born the idea of Youth Soccer League Organisation.

Shubham Garg: The man behind Youth Soccer League Organisation

Conceptualized in 2009 with the motive of providing the youth of India opportunities to harness their football talents and valuable playing experience and opportunities, the Youth Soccer League Organisation is run by a team of young college students and is now successfully conducting organized leagues in four cities in India: New Delhi, Jaipur, Varanasi and Guwahati. YSLO aims to reach out to more cities, thus making a priceless contribution in improving youth football in India. Sportskeeda’s Harmit Kamboe caught up with Shubham Garg, the Founder of YSLO to talk about how his project works and how he hopes the change the scene of Indian youth football.

Harmit: Hello Shubham. Thank you for speaking to us. Please tell us about yourself, your background and what led you to found YSLO.

Shubham: I am currently pursuing my B.A. in Hansraj College at Delhi. I am a pass-out of Mayo College, Ajmer where I captained the school football team. I have represented Rajasthan and IPSC teams at the National level.

While playing at school, I noticed a clear lack of opportunities to play competitive football at a junior level in the state. After my class 12, I started Youth Soccer League Organisation along with Sohil Bhansali, who represented Rajasthan with me. Since we wanted it to be an organisation for the youth run by the youth, we started out with friends and volunteers.

Harmit: Why did you choose to focus on football? Is there any specific age group that you are targeting?

Shubham: As I am a footballer myself, the choice of the beautiful game was natural. Since I love the game, I wanted to contribute towards its development in India. At YSLO, we target U-15 talents. We strongly believe that it is in that age group that the true potential of Indian football lies.

Harmit: Since YSLO aims at providing a league setting, does the instructional aspect of the game not get lost? Isn’t that more important for young children?

Shubham: We started with football leagues so young players can develop interest in the game. Initially we focused only on tournaments, but we are now coming up with a football club and academy in Jaipur to provide expert training to the players. We plan to further take the same concept to cities like Mumbai, Chandigarh, etc.

Young kids in action during a YSLO match

Harmit: The cities where you have created local leagues in: Jaipur, Varanasi; these are not the kind of cities you hear about much when it comes to initiatives for young children. What made you pick these cities?

Shubham: These are the cities that require a lot attention with regards to developing the sport of football. I chose Jaipur because of my association with Rajasthan and I wanted to develop football in the cities which were very neglected. Setting up the league has generated a huge response and we are very motivated to continue our work there.

Harmit: Tell us about the format of the games and how you organize them.

Shubham: Games are played in 11 a side and as well as other smaller formats, depending upon the league and age group. The tournament varies from 5 days to 2 weeks in different cities. Organizing in these cities is challenging but never impossible. We have a team of dedicated volunteers and workforce who help putting everything in place. In short, it’s all team work, just like in football.

Harmit: How did you manage to get sponsors for this project? And approximately what percent of the overhead for the league do they pick up and how much do kids have to pay?

Shubham: Getting sponsors is the tough part in the Indian sports scenario, especially in cities where football is not played or followed much. But with the league and tournaments that we organize, we do have a few sponsors supporting us. The percentage of the sponsorship depends upon the sponsorship proposal for the event. Kids have to pay according to the league / tournament they are playing in. We provide them with a team kit.

Harmit: What do you like to ideally occur as a result of these leagues sprouting in various cities across India?

Shubham: With more and more cities coming into this league system at the Youth level, a National League can be created which will make players noticeable at a young age. Playing opportunities at a better level will increase and the craze for the game will increase. Youth football needs maximum attention right now and a strong set-up at the national level will help it succeed.

Harmit: Many thanks for making the time and speaking to us. We congratulate you on your great work and wish you and Youth Soccer League Organisation all the best for more success!

Edited by Zico