24 new football coaches trained in Visakhapatnam

Great coaches make great players. This statement proves true for various fields in life, especially for sports like football. The All India Football Federation (AIFF), with the respective state’s football associations as a node, conducts courses on football learning giving individuals opportunities to become football coaches at different levels. Starting from E-license to A-license, courses offered get exponentially difficult to attain. Having said that, not so soon ago, the Andhra University grounds in Visakhapatnam accommodated a group of 24 soon-to-be football coaches.

The Andhra Pradesh Football Association recently conducted a 6-day AIFF-D-license course at the Andhra University grounds in Visakhapatnam. The course commenced on 28 January and ended on 2 February. Candidates took theory classes at the YHAI meeting hall and headed to the AU Grounds twice a day for practical sessions. The training was undertaken by an instructor from AIFF. “With a minimum age of 18, anyone with basic fitness and adequate knowledge of football can enroll in the said course, when conducted in the future,” informed Mr Gopal Krishna, President of AP Football Association.

As per sources, this was the first batch of coaches to be trained in D-license in Andhra Pradesh. The enrolled group had individuals, including two women, from 11 districts of Andhra Pradesh. After taking the course, one can find employment as a coach in schools and colleges, guiding young students in the sport of football.

With these new football coaches coming to the fore, Visakhapatnam expects to produce better and stronger players who can represent the nation in international arenas. Speaking about the current scenario of football in the city, Mr. Gopal Krishna says, “As a state, we have a strong group of 6 teams, out of which, 3 are women teams, playing at regional and national levels.”