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| File picture of the Assam team after winning the gold in the 33rd National Games |
Guwahati, Feb 6 : The Assam Football Association (AFA) has adopted a two-phase preparation programme for the state Santosh Trophy team with a view to qualify for the mega event, seizing the opportunity provided by the deferment of the Jharkhand National Games.
Defending champions Assam, who did not qualify for the final eight in the last edition of the Santosh Trophy tournament in Jammu and Kashmir last year, got the opportunity to try out once again in May in Tamil Nadu.
In the first phase of the programme, the AFA will select at least 40 probables from among those in the state team and those spotted from various tournaments, players playing for clubs outside the state and the talents among the youngsters in the junior and youth (under-21) outfits.
The selected players will be trained in a camp from February 28 to March 10 here, where at least three foreign coaches, Robert E. Gray, Henry Carl Gray and Glenn Carver Gray, will be involved. The AFA has managed sponsorship from a US-based firm — FS Sports — for the first phase of preparation.
In the second phase, the selected team will be sent to the tournament venue or adjoining areas for acclimatisation at least a week before the meet.
“It will be done instead of the exposure tour we arranged before last year’s Santosh Trophy. The team will play arranged matches there as a warm-up exercise,” AFA secretary Ankur Dutta said.