|
Manchester
United Football Club's Sir Alex Ferguson said, "At Manchester
United we place great emphasis on developing young players
and I am proud to continue to play a part in this. It has
been part of the tradition of the club since the days of Sir
Matt Busby and is something we remain very much focused on
today, whether bringing players through the Academy or coaching
young players at our Manchester United Soccer Schools.
"We
believe that through Manchester United Soccer Schools we can
take the heritage of the Club and our football philosophy
around the world. It's clear to see that with such a huge
population in India the potential for football to grow is
enormous, and we are delighted to be involved in the further
development of the game here. Hopefully we can play a part
in the vision of accelerating this development of young players
in India, and helping youngsters to achieve their own potential
through playing sport."
From
27 October - 2 November 2007, as part of a combined initiative
involving AIFF, GFA, Bharti, Department of Sports and the
Sports Authority of Goa, Kick Off will provide the opportunity
for thousands of aspiring young soccer players within the
Goa region of India to undertake a series of skills tests.
A
coaching team from Manchester United Soccer Schools will supervise
the programme, assisted by Brian McClair, The Head of Manchester
United's Youth Academy. Brian played 470 times for Manchester
United during a distinguished career in which he scored 127
goals for the club.
Susanna De Sousa said, "The Muss pilot project is the
best thing that could have ever happened to Goan football.
Most importantly to our budding talent and aspiring future
football champions. Hats off to Muss UK and thank you for
your commendable support and contribution to football and
sports at large."
Savio Messias said, "It's fantastic to have Muss doing
a talent spotting programme in Goa; the kids are very excited
and the response has been overwhelming. Over 5,500 children
have sent in applications to enter the testing programme,
from every nook and corner of Goa from Bicholim to Canacona."
International
sports marketing agency and event management company IMG will
oversee the project. Based at the Nehru Stadium in Goa, the
first four days of the program will see individual players
and school groups aged between 10 & 16 years taking part
in dribbling and ball control exercises under test conditions.
The
tests have been specifically designed in conjunction with
the Manchester United Youth Academy whose alumni include David
Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers,
and are set up to accurately assess the ability of any individual
player. MUSS coaches from the UK, working alongside coaches
from the GFA, will conduct the tests using MUSS' specialist
coaching equipment.
From
each of the initial four days of the program, a small group
of the most talented players will be selected to attend intensive
training from 31 October - 2nd November.
These
selected players will take part in a series of coaching sessions
and small sided games with the objective of identifying talented
young players capable of playing high quality, and technically
sound football. Players selected for the second phase of the
program will receive a full MUSS/Nike training kit plus, for
a select few, the opportunity to attend the MUSS residential
football school in the UK in 2008.
With
the backing and support of many local schools, it is anticipated
that up to 6,000 young players will take part in the initial
stage of the program. All these youngsters will be given the
opportunity to perform in this exciting arena, with a Manchester
United 'souvenir' being distributed to everyone taking part
as a further memento of their experience.
Muss'
first ever series of programs in India will be delivered as
part of an initiative in place to develop young football players
in the country, and will be delivered free of charge to all
participants.
|
