M O N T H L Y N E W S L E T T E R August 2022
This month, we continued to train hard and play games. All of our age groups have started to play against opponents of different levels and get some valuable minutes. The U 19s participated in the Independence Cup, a 2 day knockout competition, and made it all the way to the quarterfinals. Over the coming months, they will be participating in the MFA as well. Our Development Squad has also started playing in the MFA and training once a week, and we are trying to organise games for them every weekend at least! Meanwhile, our U 15s have started their MFA league campaign and have registered 2 wins so far. We're hopeful for a strong showing from them. We are also working to try and organise international exposure trips for our boys. The U 15s travel to Malaysia in October, and hopefully, we will have positive news on that front for other age groups soon!
Sandro Salami Head of Youth
Dear parents and guardians, On behalf of all of us here at Young Champs, I wish you a belated Happy Independence Day! Independence signifies freedom for all of us. But what kind of freedom?
To me, it is the freedom to be creative, to be our best selves, and most importantly, for us to be able to decide what our "best self" is for ourselves. We encourage all of our players to do the same, and the coaches are here to help them reach that best level.
Coach's Note
Dear parents and guardians, As Sandro mentioned in his note, we wish you a very happy Independence Day! It is that time of the year when the kids have all settled in to their routines and school work is coming in to full flow. With the festive season upon us now, it gives the boys a timely break from school work before exam season starts, but we will still keep them on their toes with tuitions and training! But studies are never to be left behind. Our Xth and XIIth boys are preparing for their half yearly exams, due to start in September.
In other news, our school going boys have picked up Official Appointments, with Arush and Supratim being nominated for Eagle and Kite house Sports Captains respectively, while Priyansh has been nominated to the post of School Sports co ordinator! I'd like to close by wishing all of you a very happy Ganesh Chaturthi! May the light and blessings of Lord Ganesha shine bright upon us all.
Padma Rewari Head of Child Welfare and Education
Counsellor's Note
The players participated in a flag hoisting ceremony at Beverly park during the day, where officials and other staff from Beverly Park put on a march past, some performances, and some speeches on the significance of Independence and what that means in India's context.
RFYC celebrated Independence Day at Beverly Park and on the pitch this ear. On the landmark occasion of India's 75th year of independence, we wanted to do something memorable to commemorate the day
Independence Day 2022
Later in the day, the players had a special training session, which lasted 75 minutes (in honour of the 75th year of independence). The coaches led the session for 47 minutes, followed by which the players had an "independent" training, where they developed their own forms.
It was a fun day for everyone involved, and the players were reminded on the day, of the struggles that a lot of our forefathers went through for them to be able to enjoy the freedoms they do today.
JohnGonsalves U-14 Midfielder Spotlight
My name is John Gonsalves, I am 13 years old and I come from Dubai, UAE. I was born and brought up there, but when the opportunity came to try out for Young Champs, I could not wait! After a long trial, I am finally here. I had to give my best, and there were challenges, but, it was also an opportunity to play my game and show my level I'm very grateful to be here!
Tellusalittleaboutyourself.
WhatareyouenjoyingmostaboutYCsofar? The game time and training. every training session is different, and the coaches make you challenge yourself every day. Arnold coach says we need to go full out 100%, whether it is a training or a match, and I really enjoy that. I think this will really help me to better my game!
Messi is my idol. I admire his dribbling and his vision in the game He is also very good with both his feet
A skill I hope to develop.
If I was ever on FIFA/PES, I would be playing for Manchester City as a Central Midfielder, and my rating would be 98
Whoisyourfootballidol?Telluswhatyoumost admireaboutthem.
IfyouwereaplayerinFIFAorPES,whatwouldyourratingbe,andwhichclub wouldyoubeplayingfor?
Spotlight VigneshGopinath PG Head-Video Analysis
Tellusalittleaboutyourself.
I'm Vignesh PG, and I lead the Video Analysis department. I have been here for 2 years, and have built this department from the ground up, and building it up for the future of the academy. I'm an engineer turned analyst. My journey into this field started when I was doing my AIFF C License course. There were a couple of modules focused on Analysis. I have previously worked in the ISL for Northeast United. I worked as a scout cum analyst! My ambition is to make a real difference and contribution to Indian football in the long term
We want to add visual references asa a platform for all communication between the staff and players. We have players in the Academy from Kashmir to Kerala, who speak different languages and interpret information differently. We don't want any barriers in our communication with them. So we cover every single action on the pitch, so the coaches and players can sit together and really understand the feedback being given. Almost every department uses video analysis for their purposes. Whether it is the physios using clips to understand how an injury might take place, or the mental department using clips to show players exact moments where they may not have been concentrating, video is the clearest evidence there is! We also use video as evidence for player evaluation. We work with the coaches to point out specific evaluation points and back it up with video clips.
Whatroledoesvideoanalysisplayinanacademysetup?
For example, in the first 2 years, we want players to learn how to train, how to give their 100% So, we mainly look at evidences where they are not active, and not giving it their all in a session.
As the players get older, we touch on tactics. With the 15s and 16s, we try to introduce the Academy philosophies and principles, and with the 17s and 19s, we go for full fledged analysis, including tactical and technical aspects of the players' game.
Howdoesthelevelofanalysisdifferbetweenagegroups?
Good question! The difference in the level of analysis really comes down to the differences in the Learning Line for the players in the age group.
We have also brought in live analysis, where we create a scenario where the analysts give live, in game inputs to the players through the coaches to see if they are able to adapt, which brings a different layer of challenge for the player where they have to continuously adapt during a game.
Well, according to me, it is important first and foremost to have a strong understanding and knowledge of the game. Analysis is a big part of football now, it is even a part of coaching licenses. A hold over football language is essential as well. While communicating with the players, it is important to speak with them at a level they understand. So, understanding of general and specific football language goes a long way. Thirdly, the ability to understand a coaches idea and philosophy. We should be able to become their "third eye", understand and communicate with the players and coaches in their language. But apart from that, one should really be able to convey analytical points to the coach as well. A coach is on the pitch and focused on delivering a high quality session, while his analyst has a birds eye view of the entire session. An analyst must be able to spot all the aspects a coach is looking for in his team and players, while if there is the scope for improvement, or if there is something the coach may have missed, the analyst must not.
Whataresomecorecompetenciesforanyone lookingtogetintovideoanalysis?
We'd love to hear from you. Please write to us at contact@rfyounchamps.org
