Raw talent needs to be identified and nurtured in a proper environment – Tony

by Chittu Shetty September 25, 2017

With former A-League coach Tony Walmsley appointed as head coach for the Academy, the new venture in Mumbai aims to identify talent who can take up professional football and nurture them accordingly.

UK- based FCV International Football Academy in collaboration with SRS Sports of Mumbai are all set to make their first foray in India with the launch of their academy in Mumbai

Speaking to the press, Tony explained his job and explained “Raw talent needs to be identified and nurtured in a proper environment. My role is to identifying these talents,” He continued, “We are bringing a lot of expertise into the country and with the help of Firmin, who has the knowledge of things here, we look forward to supply these talents with the best of the infrastructure, and high level football demands.”

Walmsley, who has 25 years coaching experience, is a holder of an AFC Pro-diploma and has specialised in the development of talent at youth level in Europe and Oceania. He will be joined by Ian Sampson, who is a current scout of English premier league side Crystal Palace, for the trials later this month.

The academy will look forward to making two types of squad – Developmental and Performance, with the latter aimed towards producing professional players.

Also Read: FCV Academy trials to begin on 28th September

“Between 22 and 25 players would be picked in three age groups for the performance squad,” said Amit Desai, SRS Sports director. When asked about the charges the aspiring footballers would have to pay, Desai refused to divulge it stating, “We want them to first come at trials, see the opportunities that they will have for themselves and then decide on it. The charges will be announced on the trial day.”

When asked about the expectations from the academy, Firmin stated “One cannot expect high performances from day one. It’s about providing the right exposure and training techniques and we will make sure we give that.”

The four-day trial will be conducted at the Lions Municipal Sports Complex in Santa Cruz from Thursday 28th September (3.00 pm to 6.00 pm), Saturday 30th September to Monday 2nd October 2017 (10.30 am to 4.30 pm). There will be no trials on Friday 29th September.