Interview with Peter David (Excelsior Football Academy, Gurgaon)

The story of Peter David is inspirational. As a foreigner, he came to India for an NGO, fell in love with the country and started to work for the development of football in India. Now he runs the Excelsior Football Academy in Gurgaon. In the interview below, he talks about how he came to India, what he thinks about Indian kids and what we need to do to develop football in our country.

How did you end-up being in India?

When I first came to India back in 2007, I was here to work with an NGO that was teaching English to slum children. I was planning on being here for six months, initially, but something about India grabbed hold of my heart and wouldn’t let go. I decided to stay a little longer and I’ve been here ever since.

How did you get involved in youth football in NCR region?

It all started out when I noticed the children in the society where I was staying playing football in the park after school. And it wasn’t just a few children, it was dozens of them all waiting for a turn on the small lawn. I was impressed by their enthusiasm for the game and I started coaching them, just informally, trying to teach them some basics of technique and tactics. Gradually, my group of young players was growing pretty fast and I decided to open an academy where they could come for proper training.

At first I signed up with one of the sports academies here in Gurgaon, but after a year I felt it was necessary to open my own academy where I could coach them according to a different standard and curriculum.

I found a partner in Excelsior American School, who were extremely passionate about football and wanted to facilitate its growth in the area. That was when we started Excelsior Football Academy, which was open to any student from anywhere, not just the school. In the past four years, we’ve had about 150 players come through our academy and many of the youngsters who joined us in the beginning are still with us today. It’s been very rewarding to see them progress through the age groups and improve technically and tactically every year.

In the past 4 years, I’ve also been a technical advisor for Simla Youngs FC, an Assistant Coach for Hindustan FC and filmed a series of coaching videos for a website called Total Football.

What is your impression about the Indian youngsters?

Two things have always stood out to me about Indian youngsters of any age – their passion and their attitude. Their enthusiasm for the game is just amazing and very encouraging to see. Many parents tell me that our players go home from training and play with their friends in the park. Others say they have to ban their child from juggling the ball around the house. This incredible love for the game is what I believe will carry the next generation forward in football. As players they are great to work with because they work hard, follow instructions and are always hungry to learn. It’s a delight for any coach to work with players like that.

What steps do you think are necessary at the youth level for Indian football to progress?

The three things that I would identify as being the most needed at the grassroots level are coach education, more turfs and pitches to play on, and more youth leagues that go year-round. We have a lot of tournaments around the country, but they tend to be short-term and aren’t focused on sustained development of players. According to the ‘Lakshya’ plan that Mr. Baan has drafted, the AIFF is supposed to be developing these aspects of the game, but I’m a little skeptical as to if that will happen.

I do feel that for football to really take off in India, we will need the private sector to become much more involved in the game and take it forward, especially at the grassroots level. On top of that, I think that each of us can ask ourselves, “What am I doing for Indian football?” I can sit here and point the finger at the Federation, but will that help us to reach the World Cup in 2026? No. Instead I have to ask myself what my skill sets are and how can I best put them to use for the betterment of the game? I’ve been very encouraged by private entities that have taken initiatives that have helped Indian football grow tremendously.

Take for example, the TATA Football Academy. Many of our National Team players were bred in this school and I can’t imagine what our National Team would look like without these players. If TATA hadn’t taken this initiative many years ago, we would be far worse off I think. And the thing is, TATA accomplished this completely outside of the Federation.

On a smaller note, a friend of mine started the Delhi Youth League last year, a 8-month long tournament for the Academies, Schools and NGO’s in the NCR. Every weekend my players go play competitive matches in this league which is fantastic developmentally speaking and something that ideally should be happening in every city in India.

Both of these examples inspire me that I can help to take football forward, in ways big or small.

What do you think about Indian football?

I think we are at a very key moment in Indian football. The younger generation is taking to the sport like mad and they are eager to see change. If you look around the country, there are probably hundreds of private academies opening up to accommodate the passion for football. Do all of these academies have good facilities and the best coaching staff available? I don’t know. But they do get children playing the game and that in itself is a positive thing. The game is the best teacher, after all.

As a country I think economically we are experiencing phenomenal growth and there is a lot of room for entrepreneurship and private initiatives, and that carries right over into the beautiful game. Because of our population, we have the potential to become a powerful footballing nation in Asia but it will take hard work, vision, patience, sacrifice, initiative and a positive outlook. Clearly, there are major hurdles to jump in Indian football but I think we need to approach these challenges with a solutions-oriented attitude.