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SpeakOut: Do The Talent Hunts Ever Benefit?
At a time when we hear of several football tournaments being organised by various individuals or organisations, Goal.com ponders whether in the long run, such programmes have any benefit in developing the state of the game in the country...
06-Jan-2010 8:56:45 AM
Haven’t we heard of various soccer challenges springing up
across the major cities of India? You’ll have an English club supporting the
event with two-to-three or those selected few given an opportunity to train
with them in England. The club officials would claim that as to how they are in
India to promote Indian football and not strengthen their brands as the popular
theory goes.
The funny part is that those clubs expect Indians to believe them! A word of advice to them: It’s good to think oneself smart but equally wrong to consider the other as a fool! I hope it explains!
The organisers of the event would speak on as how football isn’t promoted at the grassroots and how with their novel (read: same old, same old) initiative, the game’s future in India could change. The problem is how they ‘over’ exaggerate what they do. It’s not a grammatical error to use ‘over’ in front of exaggerate as it’s meant to stress how far away from reality those speeches are.
Oh yes, how cricket is the so-called undisputed sport and football is the next best thing, is something you also get to hear. It won’t take much to see through the hollowness of such sentences.
I understand the importance of leveraging in the 21st century but let’s not forget the famous quote, ‘You have no greater leverage than the truth.’
In these talent hunts, you have the kids’ congregate, play and a few experts spot the talent and based on that, around twenty to thirty are selected. Thereafter, a camp is organised wherein one of the club’s school coaches, organise a few (three-to-four) training sessions and choose the final lot, who shall go to England.
While the organisers claim that they are to search new talents, most of those who make it are already plying their trade with the state, district or an I-League club junior side! Those kids go to England and come back, and it’s back to the routine life.
The point is what next? Okay, let’s consider they did spot some talent, so then what? No, I’m not doing any marketing for Samsung, with their ‘next is what’ campaign! It’s a genuine question.
At these events, they bring in some footballing personality from the country, who have to oblige by dropping in. They’ll give the regular quotes like, “It’s a good initiative; Football in the country is coming up and blah blah.” But there’s no real stuff or depth in it. It’s pretty shallow to the core.
Do these camps help? It’s more of a weekend camp for children and nothing more than that. One may point that people from various social backgrounds come and play and it’s great to see that, after those two days, one doesn’t see that very often! In fact, school football tournaments regularly sees some of the affluent class’s children playing against those coming from not so economically well-off backgrounds.
You will also come across a set of parents talking as to how such events are so well organised than the ones of the state and Indian FA. While that’s a valid point to an extent, but it acts as an ego massage therapy for the organisers, who feel content and deliver another lecture on social responsibility!
None get really benefitted and it’s more a humdrum wherein except for a few who get a free trip to England!
Rahul Bali.
Do YOU agree with us? Do such talent hunts help Indian football to grow as they often claim to be?
The funny part is that those clubs expect Indians to believe them! A word of advice to them: It’s good to think oneself smart but equally wrong to consider the other as a fool! I hope it explains!
The organisers of the event would speak on as how football isn’t promoted at the grassroots and how with their novel (read: same old, same old) initiative, the game’s future in India could change. The problem is how they ‘over’ exaggerate what they do. It’s not a grammatical error to use ‘over’ in front of exaggerate as it’s meant to stress how far away from reality those speeches are.
Oh yes, how cricket is the so-called undisputed sport and football is the next best thing, is something you also get to hear. It won’t take much to see through the hollowness of such sentences.
I understand the importance of leveraging in the 21st century but let’s not forget the famous quote, ‘You have no greater leverage than the truth.’
In these talent hunts, you have the kids’ congregate, play and a few experts spot the talent and based on that, around twenty to thirty are selected. Thereafter, a camp is organised wherein one of the club’s school coaches, organise a few (three-to-four) training sessions and choose the final lot, who shall go to England.
While the organisers claim that they are to search new talents, most of those who make it are already plying their trade with the state, district or an I-League club junior side! Those kids go to England and come back, and it’s back to the routine life.
The point is what next? Okay, let’s consider they did spot some talent, so then what? No, I’m not doing any marketing for Samsung, with their ‘next is what’ campaign! It’s a genuine question.
At these events, they bring in some footballing personality from the country, who have to oblige by dropping in. They’ll give the regular quotes like, “It’s a good initiative; Football in the country is coming up and blah blah.” But there’s no real stuff or depth in it. It’s pretty shallow to the core.
Do these camps help? It’s more of a weekend camp for children and nothing more than that. One may point that people from various social backgrounds come and play and it’s great to see that, after those two days, one doesn’t see that very often! In fact, school football tournaments regularly sees some of the affluent class’s children playing against those coming from not so economically well-off backgrounds.
You will also come across a set of parents talking as to how such events are so well organised than the ones of the state and Indian FA. While that’s a valid point to an extent, but it acts as an ego massage therapy for the organisers, who feel content and deliver another lecture on social responsibility!
None get really benefitted and it’s more a humdrum wherein except for a few who get a free trip to England!
Rahul Bali.
Do YOU agree with us? Do such talent hunts help Indian football to grow as they often claim to be?
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