MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
Decmber 2021
Coach's Note Sandro Salami Head of Youth
Greetings, parents and guardians! Let me start this month by extending the warmest possible season's greetings to all of you! This is the time of the year to celebrate with family, friends, and loved ones. Of course, some of us are still at the Academy during this time, but, we make it a point to celebrate together. We are, after all, a family as well! As the year winds down, it is also a time for reflection. Looking back at the year that was, and how we have grown and progressed over these twelve months. At this time last year, we were all hoping to come out of this bubble soon, but that has not happened yet.
But we are grateful to have got our entire family back together and for getting to continue training the boys and developing them. This year, we also welcomed new staff members onto our team.
Counsellor's Note Padma Rewari Head of Child Welfare and Education
Dear parents and guardians, Here's wishing all of you a very happy festive season! Exam season has just ended, and its time for the boys to take a bit of a break from studying and enjoy themselves for a few days before the new year. The boys all prepared well, and I'm confident that they will all do us proud!
This month, we celebrated Christmas at RCP, with the boys and staff getting together to celebrate! Spearheaded by Dr. Shruti, the event was a fun affair for all to be a part of!
Christmas is a time for family and community, and our RFYC family came together to celebrate with each other during this festival. In other good news, the U-16 and U-18 boys finally get to go home for the winter break! The remaining children will stay at Beverly, but Dr. Shruti is planning a special event for them, just like she did for Christmas. I'm sure it'll be a fun filled affair for all. And with that, I'll take your leave for now. I hope you all are doing well, and are safe. Here's wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous new year!
Selection Camp Concludes! The past year has been difficult, With everything almost coming to a standstill, we were faced with a real conundrum; how do we continue to do what we are best at? How do we discover new, young talent across India? Then, our team came up with a solution: we decided to embrace technology. We tied up with Artificial Intelligence platform AiSCOUT to help conduct trials remotely and safely for all children born between January1, 2008 and December 31, 2009. The campaign was a huge success, and we received thousands of entries from all across the country! After a thorough evaluation of each entry, and having seen some of the players personally in regional camps, 62 of the best players were invited back to Mumbai for a final selection camp. The seven day affair was conducted at Reliance Corporate Park, Ghansoli, under strict social distancing guidelines and under the supervision of our coaching and support staff.
In the end, the coaches picked 20 boys to be the next batch of Young Champs. Speaking from the camp, Head of Youth Sandro Salami said "It has been a long, and difficult journey, but we are determined to find the highest quality of young talent and bring them to RFYC in the safest way possible. I believe this batch of players has a very bright future, and we can not wait to start working with them!" These boys will join up with the academy in January and form the new batch of U13 players, and will be coached by our very own Don Arnold Danthi! Please enjoy some snapshots from the final camp, exclusively for you! Full coverage will be available on the website soon.
Celebrating the festive season! As December rolls around, we all start to get excited. Not just because of the festive season, but because it allows us to reflect on the year gone by and look forward to the time yet to come. Its also (usually) a time for our boys to spend some time with family. However, due to the current situation, not everyone can be home. And half the boys have to stay back at the academy during the winter vacations. Our dedicated staff were determined to help the boys have a good time regardless and, just for some time, switch off and just be children. Shruti Iyer, a physiotherapist extraordinaire and member of the Party Planning Committee organised a special Festive celebration on Christmas day! Starting with a 'Best out of Waste' competition, where the boys teamed up and used their imaginations to create their works of art using everyday discarded items.
The boys were at their creative best, with entries ranging from a snowman to a DIY water filter! This was followed by a cake decoration competition, where the boys were handed slices of cake, and given icing and toppings and tasked with decorating it however they saw fit. "It was a tough keeping the boys in check and reminding them not to eat the cake!" said Shruti, "But they really put their best efforts in, and we were treated to some really artistic decorations." she continued. This was followed by a special screening of a movie for the boys at Reliance Corporate Park! The next page contains some of the best pictures from both these competitions.
Spotlight
Mohommad Sanan U- 18 Winger
Tell us a little about yourself. 'My name is Sanan, and I m from Kerala. I play as a left forward. I have been playing football since when I was 8 years old and I enjoy playing football
This is a pivotal year for you. You're on the brink of starting your professional career. How are you preparing for life after RFYC?
Right now, I am focusing on my development. It's important to keep growing even as milestones get nearer. But I hope to be ready when the opportunity does come.
Who is your football idol?
My football idol is Riyad Mahrez. I admire his skill on the bal, and his composure to beat a man and score.
If you were a player in FIFA or PES, what would your rating be and which club would you be playing for? I think I'd be around 57 to start off, but with a 90 potential! And I'd be playing for Real Madrid, my dream club!
Spotlight
Dipankur Sharma
Coach U - 15
Tell us a little about yourself. Well, I grew up as a defence kid, so, my childhood was spent travelling around. But most of my time was spent in Goa and Delhi. That is where my love for football really took its roots. I started playing football first, in school and in my colony, before I actually became a 'fan'. That actually happened in college, when I started really getting into Arsenal FC and watching them and understanding how and why they moved the ball in a particular way. From then, there was no looking back for me. Even when I pursued my career as a lawyer, sitting behind a desk and working always seemed... wrong. Then one day, I decided to really follow my passion, and long story short, 7 years later, here I am!
You've transitioned from being a lawyer to a football coach. That's quite a paradigm shift! How has the transition been for you? Moving into the football world at 24, I had to learn fast, and be relentless in my drive to succeed. After conversations with Mr. Stevie Grieve, I landed my first job at Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools in Delhi, and before long, I was helping them expand operations to Bangalore, Chennai, etc. 5 years later, I'd reached a point where I couldn't learn anything more there, and I decided to focus on doing that - learning. So I headed to the MBP School of High Performance in Spain, where I learned more about sports science and analysis in addition to my football training. That period really aided in my development, and I still apply facets of those learnings today.
I worked in Mexico for a while before the pandemic struck and I had to make my way back to India, where I got the opportunity to work at RFYC. The elite youth setup here is great, and what really exxcites me is the marriage of my ambition with that of the academy's - to deliver high quality, high potential young players into the Indian football ecosystem!
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone looking to follow your path? The most important thing for anyone is to figure out their "why" before jumping in. Figure out if your interest lies in being a fan, an analyst, or actually being a coach. This journey is not easy, and you have to really want it in order to succeed.
We'd love to hear from you. Please write to us at contact@rfyounchamps.org