The South United inter-school football competition con ducted for schools in Chennai, Madurai and Tiruchy was organised by former Indian forward Raman Vijayan in collaboration with Edu Sports on Saturday. The overwhelming response the tournament garnered has left Raman a satisfied man who, besides being chuffed with the success, is now considering running a five-day talent hunt sometime during December.
Says Raman, “I was happy that a total of 20 teams took part. The response from the schools was better than what I thought. The tournament was held in two age-group categories U-12 and U-15. It was a league cum knock-out event and was played at the Nehru Park stadium. We organised it with a specific view to picking the best players and inviting them to a camp in Chennai. The camp will be overseen by myself and a few other experts. The players who have made an impression in this tournament will be given complete fee exemption while others will be charged a nominal fee.“
Exactly how many students will be selected for the camp hasn't been decided yet, adds the 40-year old Raman, who is the manager of South United FC, a team that plies its trade in the second division of the I-League in Bengaluru.
Raman, who terrorised many a defender with his lethal right foot during his playing days, says he is pained by the sight of how talented youngsters especially in Tamil Nadu are deprived of parading their skills for want of better training facilities.
Driven by the enthusiasm to make the sport easily accessible and to provide a better platform, Raman, himself an accomplished coach, plans to start a coaching centre soon.
“There is no dearth of talent here. It's just that the budding players need someone to guide them and teach the nuances. What we are lacking in is a quality train ing programme. We already have 10 coaching centres in Bengaluru and another 13 in Mumbai. For these youngsters to make it big it is imperative that they become part of a healthy grooming process. There are plans afoot to start a few in Kerala and Tamil Nadu,“ explains Raman.
