'There are such talents in India': future footballers of India - problems and possibilities
Adams, B.
Soccer and Society 2(2): 128-145
2001
ISSN/ISBN: 1466-0970 Document Number: 246563
This essay initially considers the problems faced by Indian children who wish to play football. The author suggests that Indian children of all socioeconomic groups face difficulties in developing as footballers and he details a number of these. However, he also provides a number of examples that demonstrate that Indians of all socioeconomic groups readily involve themselves with football when they are given the opportunity, and he concludes that, despite the obstacles, there is an interest in engaging with the game. He argues that, rather than focus on expensive but high-profile football academies, which are the models adopted by a number of Indian agencies, small-scale programmes aimed at all ability levels tend to have more lasting results.