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Heartfulness and AIFC – Association of Indian Football Coaches Launch the Heartful Coach Program for 2021

Arjun Bangde — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 12:36:26 +0000

A 3-day Masterclass program designed to adopt a Heart-Centred approach, and inspire inner transformation and excellence for Coaches, PE teachers and mentors.

Mumbai, 21 September 2021:

The Heartfulness Education Trustand AIFC, the Association of Indian Football Coaches, launched the national program,Coach to Heartful Coachaspart of the International Day of Peace Celebrations. The Heartful Coach is a 3-day masterclass program designed to introduce a heart-centered approach to sports coaching in schools. More than 3,000 coaches will be participating in the virtual program this year. Eminent guests includingMr. Aditya Thackeray, Hon’ble Cabinet Minister of Tourism & Environment, Government of Maharashtra; AIFC Founder & DirectorMr. Dinesh Nair; Mr. Pullela Gopichand, Chief National Coach, Indian National Badminton Team;Mr. Bharat Madhavan, Director Heartfulness Education Programs launched the program.

Sport is one of the facets that drive holistic development among children and connect to their hearts. Sports coaches, therefore, play a crucial role in inspiring children to achieve their dreams. Often coaches are mentors to the children on and off the fields. The influence of coaches is beyond the games as they imbibe life skills such as discipline and consistency. A coach’s strength is in the calmness of his mind, cool temperament, tons of talent and self-belief. It’s the coach that finds diamonds in the dust. In many ways, coaches enable the mental, physical, psychological, and personality developments within children. TheCoach to Heartful CoachProgram enables football coaches to connect with the infinite potential of their hearts. The three-day immersive program that starts today includes Heartfulness Practices for inner peace, self-transformation, and overall well-being. The program hosts a 75-minute session on topics like coaching with the heart, being a heartful role model, and achieving coaching excellence.

Speaking on the launch,Mr. Aditya Thackeray, Hon’ble Cabinet Minister of Tourism & Environment, Government of Maharashtra,said,“As sportsmen, most of us want to excel and win, bring laurels for the country and society, at various levels. We want to play fair, win and create a name for our team, ourselves, and our sport. It is the spirit of winning that creating champions in sports. But the idea is to go one step further and create champions in life. A coach wields the art of nurturing and bring out the best in society. We have brought all coaches across India for Heartfulness. Today’s sport is about life and being a winner in whatever role you play in your life besides sports. The art of nurturing are aimed at learning and absorbing and sharing from each other at an international level for a better future.

AIFC Founder & Director, Mr. Dinesh Nair said,“Every child who plays a sport may not become a champion, but as coaches, our role is not only to create an Olympian or a gold medallist but to nurture children and look at the overall holistic development of a child to create role models and responsible citizens. We need to nurture a child’s mind, so let us embark on the journey of a ‘Coach to Heartful Coach’.”

Mr. Pullela Gopichand, Chief National Coach, Indian National Badminton Teamsaid, “In the 35 years of my life as a player and coach, it has revolved around producing champions. Around 11 years after I began to coach, I realised that the number of people who come out confident in sports is a lot lesser than those that come out of sports dejected. It’s not about how many champions we make, but how many of them are on the journey. For too long sport has been for the winning few, who are genetically endowed, have better facilities, and it’s time we need to change that. Sports gives us more than medals – it helps us to share with the team, being part of the team, and gives life lessons. It is in the art of the coaching and heart of the coach – integrity, compassion, and trust are important for a coach. Being connected with the self is very important.”

Mr. Bharat Madhavan, Director Heartfulness Education Programs,said,“The launch of the Heartful Coach, coincides with International Peace Day. It is in the alignment of peace and relaxation with success and happiness. Inner peace is the secret formula to success in any field. The qualities of a coach to observe and not react, to let go and stay relaxed, and show empathy and compassion are necessary for a coach. Harmony between the inner conscience and the inner coach is possible only for a calm mind to achieve the peak performance and be in the zone. For an effortless performance, the Heartful Coach training programme comes in for inner integration that helps in tapping into intuitive capabilities for both the coaches and the players.”

Last year, Heartfulness Education Trust and AIFC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to introduce the transformational ‘Heartful coach – Let’s Coach with our Heart.’ The ongoing program is intended to help sports coaches from all strata and regions of the country.

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Shri Aaditya Thackeray Joins National Coaches Body – AIFC

Arjun Bangde — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 09:45:12 +0000

Aaditya Thackeray, Maharashtra Cabinet Minister joins as Hon. Chairman of national coaches body, the Association of Indian Football Coaches (AIFC).

On behalf of the AIFC, founder director Dinesh Nair along with Ex Indian International Player and Odhisa FC coach Steven Dias and Mumbai City FC Grassroots Development Officer Tanaz Mohammed handed over the official letter to Aaditya Thackeray.

President of Mumbai Football Association (MFA), Mr. Thackeray is not new to football. He has been engineering a silent football revolution in India for many years now. Having been instrumental in infrastructure, youth, and grassroots development of football he plays a very vital role in the overall ecosystem of the sport in India.

AIFC along with Shri. Thackeray look forward to a brighter future for Indian football coaches. They recognize and understand the influential role and powerful position that coaches play in the lives and livelihoods of footballers and every child who plays the game.

Hon. Chairman- Aaditya Thackeray said,

“I look forward to a meaningful association with AIFC as we work towards a common goal for the upliftment of Indian football.”

AIFC Founder Director – Dinesh Nair said,

“It is with great pleasure we welcome Shri. Thackeray to be part of the AIFC family. I am eagerly waiting to embark on this joint venture aimed towards uplifting the sport in India.”

CREDITS- AIFC MEDIA

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Association of Indian Football Coaches (AIFC) is initiated to provide a platform to coaches

Siddharth Yadav — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 06:00:05 +0000

Press Release (PTI): With the game of football growing fast in the country, the Association of Indian Football Coaches was launched on 27th December at Mumbai Football Arena (Andheri), with the recognition of the All India Football Association, to provide a platform and for the welfare of the coaches.

“We are starting this to help the coaches with the support of AIFF. It’s not a union and we will work with AIFF,” said one of its directors and AFC A license coach Dinesh Nair at the media conference to announce the launch of the AiFC.

Nair is also the head of the Youth and Grassroots development wing of the ISL outfit, Mumbai City FC.
“It’s important for everyone to work together as we want to develop many more coaches. Our aim was to develop 6,500 coaches from the 2014 level of 1,200. Now in the next five years we want to make it 65,000 coaches as football is growing rapidly in India,” AIFFs COO Kishor Taid said.

Apart from Nair, the board of directors of the newly floated coaches body comprises former India captain I M Vijayan, former international player Derrick Pereira, Sanjoy Sen and Thangboi Singto. The AiFC is supported by SportingLions Foundation.

Singto, the assistant coach and technical director of Kerala Blasters, said while a lot of progress has been made in developing football coaches in the country, it is also a fact that “we need to do a lot more.”

Former international and AIFF’s head of coach education, Savio Medeira, described it as a “great initiative” and wished the new body success “for long and healthy association with all Indian coaches.”

The aim of AIFC, it was emphasised, was also to work with the AIFF and “assist them in conducting AFC coaching license courses, refresher courses and work for coach education which will help in players’ development in various leagues and grassroots tournaments.”

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