Target to produce top-class Goan players with international demand at Rs 35 crore facility
PANAJI
Dempo Sports Club's academy is a dream that has started to unfold and it will fully come true when our boys will do well in professional football in India, asserted chairman Shrinivas Dempo as the phase one of the Rs 35-40 crore project was officially launched at Ella in Old Goa (along the road leading to Gaundalim bridge) on Thursday.
"The idea is to produce good players who will be absorbed by ISL or I-League clubs. We want to make them top-class players. Eventually, we would like to develop revenue model around that," said Dempo.
Technical Director, Karnagaran Naidoo has worked out exclusive programme for the academy with a belief that their products will have future beyond India.
"We are also looking for tie-up partnerships with foreign-based academies. Our products are not going to be only reviewd in India. I am looking beyond, I am ambitious about it.
"There has to be a return that will offset the expenses that are involved here, we cannot go on with scholarships all the time. We want to make sure that we have products that get trials at Inter Milan in Italy or Vikings in Norway. That's why players have contracts here and they will be continuously assessed for progress. The immediate target is to find a few players for the National team as we dream big. The players have a contract for four-year period but the contract falls away if he does not meet our criteria of quarterly assessment," explained ‘Katz' Naidoo
Those born between year 2004-05, are the Under-13 boys inducted at the Dempo SC Academy.
Although, the journey had begun in June this year with 24 boys selected from across the state after trials in North and South Goa; the launch of the natural turf FIFA-approved pitch in the presence of Luis Norton De Matos and India U-17 captain Amarjeet Singh, completes a change of focus in Dempo Group's history from running the club for half-a-century to compete at the top-flight league/competitions in the country, to providing avenues for the grassroots development with top of the line facilities.
"The academy boys will have their schooling taken care off (Fr Agnel-Pilar) and residential facility provided with all amenities elsewhere as of now, as the boarding block is yet to come up at the academy site. From regular schooling to special tutors, diet to training models; every bit has been planned while also conditioning the parents to be part of this journey that will not be easy and entails sacrifices," informed Dempo.
An academy that runs on ‘Long-Term Player Development' model, ‘trains to train' going on to ‘train to win' phases with the weekly programme demanding 10 hours cycle; has been designed by former GFDC-man
Katz Naidoo.
The South African with Indian roots has great experience and expertise on every aspect of children's psychology to football-related matters. As such, the trainees will be judged for their attitude, behaviour and discipline
as well.
