In order to promote the game at the grassroots, the Western India Football Association (WIFA) wants every school, college and club team to hire at least one licensed coach before 2014. The WIFA made this decision at a recent executive committee meeting and wants the district associations to implement it on priority.
WIFA CEO Henry Menezes said the association had been deliberating this idea for long. “There are over 300 clubs and 900 school/college teams in Mumbai. These numbers get multiplied tenfold when we look at other football hubs across Maharashtra. We want to make a pyramid which must start at the grassroots. Only later, can it bear fruit,” he said.
WIFA secretary Souter Vaz said, “Our aim is to educate coaches with methods used internationally. This will translate into a large pool of quality players. In order to achieve this, we need qualified and experienced coaches working with youth and children.”
The AIFF ‘D’ licence course has been conducted all across the state by WIFA. The course has been started with the aim of producing 5,000 licensed football coaches across Maharashtra in the next three years.
