3 Mumbai kids selected to train with QPR in London

by FC Admin January 29, 2015

Mumbai, January 28 2015: QPR coaches, Chris Ramsey and Alexander Carroll pick 3 Mumbai kids for an exclusive QPR coaching clinic at their club in the United Kingdom.

This year, the London club has decided to sponsor three children from 45 shortlisted youngsters for a 3-week training programme under renowned QPR coaches

The Milind Deora-QPR South Mumbai Junior Soccer Challenger 2014, an initiative by former Union Minister Milind Deora in association with London club Queens Park Rangers (QPR) has provided three youngsters from Mumbai an opportunity to travel to UK for a coaching clinic that will be conducted exclusively by the QPR coaching teams later in April 2015. This is the sixth consecutive year that QPR are taking kids from Mumbai to train under their coaches at their facilities in London and this year the London Club has decided to take a third young football player.

Chris Ramsey, QPR, Head of Player Development and Academy Manager and assisted by Alexander Carroll a coach of the London club, watched, monitored and shared their expertise with the 45 shortlisted youngsters, teaching them the basic football skills during a 3-day selection trails, at the Western Railway ground, Lower Parel.

At the conclusion of the trials, Ramsey and Carroll selected 12-year-old Sunil Rathod and his namesake 14-year-old Sunil Rathod, both from Colaba Municipal School and 13-year-old Sitaram Rathod from Holy Name HS, Colaba for an all expense paid three-week coaching in London.

Ramsey later stated that it was tough job to pick the perfect candidates from so many young talented footballers. “It’s always difficult to pick up the right players, because only a few from the entire group can be chosen,” Ramsey said after the announcement.

He also explained the reason for the choice of the players selected. “The difference between the rest and these three players selected was not only their technical ability to be chosen, but also their character and endurance that was endearing. They asked a lot of questions and after getting the answers they would try to execute what was told to them. Their characters helped them a lot,” pointed out Ramsey.

In reply to a query on how these 3 kids would cope in London, Ramsey said ‘I think all these guys are quite robust. I don’t know in what kind of environment they play in, generally, but they are certainly very robust the only thing that they would have to deal with is the weather, which is unpredictable.”

Both Ramsey and Carroll were pleased with the kids and both mentioned that the children have the talent and are good. We have to thank their parents for supporting them to play the sport. “All the kids were impressive. What impressed me most was their motivation to learn, their motivation to try new things and the way they embraced what we tried to teach them, which was not all that easy,” pointed out Ramsey.

They also told those who were not selected not to be disappointed and to keep practicing hard and continue with the routines that were taught to them during the trials which would help them to get better and try again next year.

The entire exercise of conducting the 6th Milind Deora-QPR South Mumbai Junior Soccer Challenger 2014 and the three-day trials was managed and organized Saran Sports.