28 August,2009 07:35 AM IST | | Clinton Vaz
GIRLS from Canossa Convent (Andheri) take their football very seriously.
Their detailed and rather strenuous training regime is proof of this. They practice for three to four hours daily under the watchful eyes of coach and former Central Railway winger Abito Pires. And the results are there for all to see.
The Canossa girls' under-14 team has been representing Maharashtra in the inter state tournament for the last two years.
In the ongoing Nike-MSSA U-16 tournament, Canossa have begun well, winning their first two games easily. And though they were held to a goalless draw by Carmel of St Joseph's at the Xaverian Ground, Parel yesterday, their campaign is on track.
"Our opponents were the toughest team in our pool, so a draw is a good enough result," said Pires, who believes that physical fitness combined with a professional approach is the need of the hour in schools' football.
"Two out of their three-hour training stint are dedicated to physical fitness alone. They are girls but they need to be tough to be good footballers," said Pires.
The girls too seem to be enjoying their training programme. "It's fun to train daily. At the end of practice, we are exhausted but it will all help us in the long run," said Nidhi Kotian, a member of the U-16 team.
