The winning goal

Updated on: 27 April,2009 09:55 AM IST |
Poulami Chakraborty |

Soccernova has tied up with Brazilian Soccer School to whip up passion for the sport among youngsters

Soccernova has tied up with Brazilian Soccer School to whip up passion for the sport among youngsters
4 pm. Saturday. St Joseph's Boys' School Grounds. A bunch of 7-year-olds is chasing a football, with cheers and screams. When it's time for a break, Rahul Joshi (7) jogs up to the stands for a sip of water. Impatient with my curiosity and my questions, he fidgets and then asks, "Can I go back to the field please? I am missing the fun!"

"Soccer is not just a game in Brazil, it's an expression of passion," says Kunal Sareen, former soccer player turned entrepreneur. He has launched Soccernova, a chain of soccer schools across India, to whip up similar excitement here.u00a0

Soccernova was started in 2002 with 10 kids and a hired pitch. "Now we train close to 5,000 children in Bangalore, Pune, Delhi and Chandigarh. The coaches, who are all Brazilians, use a syllabus-based programme, based on age and ability for 6-18 year olds. Novices get to learn basic ball manipulation skills and passing skills.

They then progress to mastering ball-nudging techniques. At the advanced level, they get to attend soccer clinics, workshops and residential camps," he adds.

The first workshop is underway, and the second starts from May 10 at ITI Grounds in KR Puram and at St Joseph's School on Vittal Mallya Road.

For details, call: 4126 0577/ 99727 43441.

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