The story of the Riverside Football Academy, Conoor

The Riverside Football Academy has and is taking giant strides in setting up a platform for developing talent on their feet. Since the launch of the academy early this year, the facility has received phenomenal inflow of players, over 122 in total and under the age of 14, who practice every day. With this support for the academy, they intend to further their progress, learning and building on putting together a curriculum that is at par with European standards.

Football as a sport is not limited to just the boys, because today’s women are forward and willing to take on the opposite gender without falling short of a challenge. The academy has girls who come to the facility to train and participate with sheer enthusiasm for the sport under the guidance of professional trainers/athletes who have represented India in the sport.

Conoor is the only part of the Nilgiris that still retains its ancestral heritage up to mark. With old English cottages and one of a kind residential schools, the students here receive an education that well surpasses any known notion. It is here that a sport like football is at an all time enthusiastic high, from deep ravines and uphill climbs, they take on the hills with ease, not only keeping them fit, but in the comfort of the environment and fresh air. The kids who come to the academy to practice are from the suburbs of Kotagiri. The passion they show for the sport is immense and their talent shows how technically gifted these kids are. The academy is looking to mould this talent well, to unearth a gem. Not to forget the Nilgiris has produced some exciting talent for the Indian National team and this initiative has the standard of the sport developing.

Mazhar Ahmed, the managing director at V2V Media & Sports, who are the sports development partner of the academy says, “The basic knowledge of the sport varies from continent to continent. Hence it is important to understand the dynamics of each individual and train each kid individually. The metrics have been implemented to monitor the kids individually, and thanks to our line-up of qualified coaches that we have on board, the experience is sure to see these children raise themselves to a higher platform in the sport. In a country with over a billion this doesn’t seem difficult to bring about.”

Mr. Govindan, the head of department of sports overlooks the activities at the academy and is optimistic with the way the entity is operating. With over a couple of decades of experience in the physical education field and also a participant in both national and international level tournaments, the coach is astounded with the progress the academy is making.

It is proved that sports is a crucial aspect in one’s individual development. But success and satisfaction play an important role in one’s outlook which is enabled by the culture inculcated. From team building to strategy, quick witted thinking, with its view benchmarked on international standards and practices, the Riverside Football Academy is hopeful of achieving its goal, which is to take the sport to a new level and produce some of the finest players in it.

As for the future, the academy intends to collaborate with clubs abroad via tournaments or even camps, to see children get as much exposure necessary for the sport. That would also mean involvement of various other teams from all over India as well.

Video to the initiative: