Former India international Steven Dias along with his former club teammates Vijith Shetty and Santosh Koli formed Ambitious Football Academy, a Mumbai-based academy which believes that the time is right to involve young kids who want to pick up Football as a career.

Steven Dias, Vijith Shetty and Santosh Koli have completed their coaching licences. The former India International completed his ‘A’ licence, whereas, Santosh Koli have acquired ‘B’ and Vijith Shetty have completed ‘C’ licence, respectively, from AFC (Asia Football Confederation).

With such a vast experience of playing at the top level and now with a proper football coaching experience, the Ambitious team is confident to achieve success in this new exciting journey.

The first workshop of  ‘KSA – Ambitious Football Academy’ was held on 2nd December 2017 at KSA Ground which was a free workshop. More than 40 children turned up for the first day of the workshop where they were taught basic drills by the likes of Steven Dias, Vijith Shetty, Santosh Koli, Anthony Fernandes, Henry Picardo, Jinto Jose and Vikas Singh. The day 2 of the workshop went on to astonishingly witness more than 70 children who were also taught the basics of football.

Later that month, Ambitious Football Academy held a two-day football fest for U18 Boys and Girls at Don Bosco Kurla on 23rd and 24th December. Both the day saw more than 80 kids who participated in this extravaganza football fest which was widely appreciated by the parents for conducting a meaningful Football Fest for the kids of Kurla.

The first centre of Ambitious would be at Karnataka Sporting Association (KSA) Ground with the training reportedly to kick-start in mid-January. The academy is starting with three age category, U-12, U-15 and U-18, which would be a huge opportunity for the kids to learn football from such an early age. The tentative days of the training are Wednesday, Friday (evening), Saturday & Sunday (morning).

To get enrolled in the Ambitious Academy, one can register themselves at http://www.ambitiousfa.com. To know more about Ambitious Football Academy, you can contact or write at [email protected] or connect at 9930767835.

About Coaches

Steven Dias – Known as the ‘David Beckham’ of India for his free-kicks, Steven Dias’ name has been quite synonyms in Mumbai Football and as well as in Indian Football. The 33-year old is an attacking midfielder who plays on the wings and is known for his long-range shooting, set-pieces, crossing and passing. He is also a Certified AFC ‘B’ License coach which makes him a perfect mentor for young aspiring footballers.

Dias has played for some of the top clubs in Mumbai which includes Air India, Union Bank of India, and Mumbai Tigers. Back in his peak, Dias had played for one of India’s top leading clubs Mahindra United where he represented them in NFL (National Football League) and AFC Cup.

In later stages of his career, Dias also had a stint with Churchill Brothers, Mumbai FC and Indian Super League (ISL) side Delhi Dynamos. He was a regular for the Indian National Team where he played an integral role in India’s win in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup. Dias has made a total of 51 appearances for the National side which spanned over 10 years where he scored seven times in the process.

We are glad to have Steven in our family who we are looking forward to working with in order to find and nurture the talent in Mumbai.

Vijith Shetty – Undoubtedly, Vijith Shetty is one of the best midfielders which came out of Mumbai Football. The talismanic experienced Midfielder has been making his name in Mumbai Football since the turn of the millennium. Vijith started his football journey with Union Bank of India (UBI) in late 1990’s before his talent was acknowledged by Mumbai’s best football club Air India.

The long-serving midfielder of Air India didn’t fail to impress his new suitors as he went on to win everything which came in his way. Vijith’s midfield prowess earned him a call in Maharashtra’s side where he represented his state in Santosh Trophy as a Captain.

Vijith is known for his short-passing, long-range passing, tackling and set-pieces. His game reading is top notch which is acknowledged by many in the fraternity of Mumbai Football. Just like his former teammate Steven Dias, Vijith is now a Certified AFC ‘C’ License coach.

In the summer of 2016, Vijith was named as the ‘Best Midfielder’ in the inaugural MDFA (Mumbai District Football Association) Awards Night at Cooperage Stadium. Respected and Adored by everyone, we are delighted to see Vijith helping young aspiring footballers in building a successful career in Football.

Santosh Koli – Just like Vijith Shetty, Santosh Koli has been a long-servant for Air India. The experienced and versatile defender has protected Air India’s goal for a very long time now. Santosh Koli made his name during his stint with Mumbai Customs which earned him an astonishing move to Air India where he established himself as one of the best defenders in Mumbai. He has represented Air India in every competition and has represented Maharashtra in Santosh Trophy as a Captain in Kashmir, 2007.

Koli is exactly what a complete defender should be. From right-back to left-back to centre-back. With Football becoming quicker, the positions are becoming more demanding. Defenders are reactionary players, they have to adapt and react quickly to the opposition, that’s where Santosh Koli has mastered himself.

Koli’s agility, strength, tackles, positioning and game reading is what made him a great defender. Hundreds of players came and went, but over the years, if there is one name apart from his teammate Vijith Shetty, it is Santosh Koli who has been a regular for Air India.

We are pleased and excited to see young aspiring defenders training under the tutelage of Santosh Koli who also happens to be a Certified AFC ‘B’ License coach.

About KSA – Ambitious Football Academy

We are a Football Academy who is in the belief that the time is right to involve young kids who want to pick up football and educate them about the game. With the football craze growing in the country, we feel that it’s the correct time that we should do something from our side to help the sport grow further.

We are a dreamer, who dares to live for a cause of being best from the rest; we believe in our self and dream to fly above all. We are focused, we are determined; we have the zeal to achieve what no one has achieved yet. We enjoy pain for our dream, we take failure as experience, and we live success as motivation. No one can stop us in achieving what we desire; we pledge to deliver the best because we are the epitome. We are Ambitious, living for a dream to become a reality. We are committed to helping the sport grow further.

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This two-day football fest would be for both boys and girls under the age of 18 years. It will be held on 23rd and 24th December 2017 at Don Bosco Kurla Ground from 08:00 am onwards. Former India International & Mumbai FC’s player Steven Dias along with his former club teammates Vijith Shetty (Air India’s Captain) and Santosh Koli (Air India’s defender) will lead the coaching department.

“When we approached Don Bosco Kurla, we met Father Joe who is very passionate about the beautiful game. He loved our idea to train the local kids and give basic training to the aspiring kids who want to build their career in football. Father Joe has always encouraged sports and he is also involved with the Institute’s Football team,” stated Steven Dias, Coach at Ambitious Football Academy.

Don Bosco Kurla is always known for producing talented players and they are always encouraged to play this beautiful game. The venue of this football fest is Don Bosco’s very old and famous ground near Kohinoor City, Kurla (West). This ground has witnessed some of the very best football matches, big tournaments and undoubtedly produced some of the finest national players of this country. More than a Silver Jubilee, National Players have graced the ground with their presence including our very own, highly popular, ever so graceful Steven Dias. He is one of the truly great players to have played on this ground. And once again Football has united everyone who truly believes in this beautiful game.

About Don Bosco Kurla

Don Bosco (Kurla) has been always famous for Football and Education. At the time of its inception, there were ITI courses for youth and down the line, Don Bosco Kurla has reached further heights as they are running more than 10 different courses which include ITI, Marine Academy, Engineering College, Marine Engineering, Hotel Management, BMS, BMM (Media Studies), IT, Computer Engineering etc. Along with the academics, Don Bosco has always backed sports and other extra curriculum activities.

Interested kids can enrol their participation in Ambitious Football Academy by submitting their details at this link: http://www.ambitiousfa.com/kurlafootballfest

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The first workshop of  ‘KSA – Ambitious Football Academy’ was held on 2nd December 2017 at KSA Ground which was a free workshop. More than 40 children turned up for the first day of the workshop where they were taught basic drills by the likes of Steven Dias, Vijith Shetty, Santosh Koli, Anthony Fernandes, Henry Picardo, Jinto Jose and Vikas Singh.

After teaching them the basics, the children got on the field to play a short match among themselves to wrap up day 1. The parents who accompanied the kids felt glad to see their children being trained under such successful players. The day 2 of the workshop went on to witness more than 70 children who were also taught the basics of football.

The workshop was concluded with the announcement of academy’s enrolment, from January the academy will start the training with enrolled kids in the academy. The enrolment has been stared, interested ones can register themselves at http://www.ambitiousfa.com/

“We do know that all the young players in India come to a point where they stop developing as a  player. That’s a major issue in our country and it is largely due to lack of basics taught to those young and aspirant players. This is why we have come up with Ambitious Football Academy,” Steven Dias after the conclusion of the workshop.

Air India’s Captain and Midfielder Vijith Shetty also shared his thoughts on the same: “Football has given us so much. It is our time to repay now. There is nothing better than coaching young aspiring children. Back then, we didn’t have such facilities. The current generation does now and we will work hard to make the most out of it.”

Former Mumbai FC’s manager Henry Picardo: “Firstly, thank you for having me here. So, Why KSA – Ambitious Football Club? Because you have to learn something before you go for your dreams. Let me tell you something about Steven. I’ve known him since 9th standard when I was playing for Air India. We used to practice at Don Bosco School at Kurla. Steven used to come and watch us. And that’s when he decided to chase his dreams of becoming a professional footballer. You must be wondering why they (Vijith Shetty and Koli Santosh) are here? They want to improve Mumbai football. They are taking responsibilities to make you learn, now it is your responsibility to carry forward.”

The Academy has begun in quite an astonishing manner. With such great leaders taking over the duties of coaching the kids, there is no doubt that their future lies in good hands.

AFA also shares its social media presence to the participants to get all the latest information about the academy and its activity. Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ambitiousfa

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ambitiousfa and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weambitious/

For any further query, you can contact by writing at [email protected] or contact at 99307767835.

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