Chandigarh Chandigarh Football Academy has till now produced 14 international players, Pawan Kumar, Ravinder Kumar, Sukhvinder Kumar, Akib Javed, Sukhdip Singh, Rakesh Kumar, Gagan, Baljinder, Johny Kumar, Bikramjit, Deepak Devrani, Sajandeep, Ruatfela and Sumit Passi
In the presence of Sanjiv Maria, Deepak Devrani and Bikramjit Singh-three celebrated footballers from the city- the atmosphere at Sector 17 Football stadium was perked up. With the preparation for the Junior National Football Championships for Dr BC Roy Trophy (under-19) to be held in Kolkata in full swing, playing with these players who had represented at the highest level, meant more than anything for the 30 probables undergoing the camp. So with added energy and hardwork, the camp is turning out to be a new experience for all the players. "Playing against these boys is fun. I am recovering from the injury and therefore it is more like a training session for me. The boys are doing well and they should do well in the nationals also," Sanjiv Maria, who had played for Mohun Bagan, said. In the last edition of the nationals, the Chandigarh team could not clear their group but this year there are several factors which might work for them. The first and foremost is the presence of 14 players from Chandigarh Football Academy. Out of the 14 players, 12 are the same which had bagged gold medals in the Under-17 National School Games. "None of the other states have been able to win the gold in National School Games two times in succession. There are also other good players in the probables and watching them practice hard in the camp, I am sure the boys will do much better than the previous years," shared Tejinder Kumar, coach, CFA, who is also imparting training to the probables.
The second factor which goes in their favour is the duration of the camp. Earlier, the camps were held ten days or two weeks before the tournament but this time they camp started almost a month in advance. "The Santosh Trophy camp will start in the first week of June and that's why we started the Under-19 camp earlier this time. Moreover, we wanted the players to get enough practice before the tournament. This ways we hope the boys will perform well in the tournament," said Rakesh Bakshi, general secretary, Chandigarh Football Association.
Surinder Singh, coach, St Stephen's Football Academy, nods in affirmation. "The players will get more time to understand each others' game and moreover it will help the team gel into a unit. This will translate into good results," he said.
Since Bikramjit and Deepak have still not passed out from the academy, they will not take part in the tournament as they have played for senior national team. "We would have loved to play but we know there are other players who are waiting for their chances. Lots of players from this team will do well in the future," said Bikramjit.
On June 9, when Chandigarh take on Mizoram in a Cluster III match, it will be deja vu for Ruatfela, Lalthazuala and Abrahim as these players will play against the players from the state where they were born. However, they will vouch for Chandigarh, the place which have given them everything. "We will try and win the match for Chandigarh," voiced goalkeeper Ruatfela, who is the only players out of the 14 to had played in the U-19 nationals before.
Chandigarh are in Cluster III along with Mizoram, Kerala and Gujarat. They will play their first match against Gujarat on June 5.
The Under-19 tournament is one of the most important tournament for All India Football Federation (AIFF) as they select players for the Under-19 AFC qualifiers after closely scrutinising players from this tournament.
THE FIVE STARS
Name:Deepak Devrani
Age: 18
Position: Defender
Achievements: He was member of India A team in the SAFF Games in 2009. Deepak also represented India in the U-19 Asia Cup in 2008
Name: Ruatfela
Age: 17
Position: Goalkeeper
Achievements: He was a part of the team that won two gold medals in U-17 National School Games. He also played for Chandigarh in the Dr BC Roy Trophy
Name: Sumit Passi
Age:17
Position:Striker
Achievements:The lanky striker was a member of the Indian team for the Asian School Games held in 2008. He was part of the team that won two gold medals in U-17 National School Games.
Name:Bikramjit
Age:18
Position:Midfielder
Achievements:He was also a part of the Indian team for the SAFF games held in Bangaldesh. He also represented India in the Under-16, Under-19 Asia Cup.
Name:Sajandeep
Age:18
Position:Midfielder
Achievements:He was a member of the Indian U-13 and U-14