Dempo Sports Club chairman Srinivas Dempo's dream of having a residential football academy finally came true when he formally inaugurated phase-I of the facility at Ella in Old Goa.
India's U-17 World Cup coach Luis Norton de Matos and captain Amarjit Singh were also present at the inauguration of the Dempo Academy yesterday.
The new facility has a full size grass pitch, shooting wall, pavilion and temporary changing rooms, offices, washrooms and class rooms.
"We had opportunities on one side and challenges on the other. It's at that time the management decided to concentrate on grassroots and give the boys an avenue to pursue their dreams of becoming professional footballers. With this in mind we decided to create a world class residential football academy," stated Srinivas Dempo.
The academy began functioning early this year with 24 footballers, born in 2004 and 2005, selected during a 10-day camp involving 67 boys.
After the 24 players were selected, they were offered contracts with full scholarship and the academy was launched on June 4. These boys are attending school at Fr. Agnel High School, Pilar.
"The next phase is to create a residential boarding facility for the boys who are currently residing in a block of flats," said Dempo.
Technical Director Karnagaran Naidoo said that coaching and training sessions for these boys will be based on the long term player development (LTPD) method.
"I have given the boys two mantras; one is keep ball possession and the other is don't let them score. Monthly and quarterly performance assessments are conducted and the reports are sent to the parents and the management," said Naidoo.
The construction of the second phase of the Academy will begin in January next year and will accommodate 96 players. It will have all the amenities, including library, catering, conference room, gymnasium, physio therapist room and other facilities.
The long term goal is to have a school within the academy.
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