By IANS
Kolkata : A three-member Everton team led by its chief coaching instructor Tony Farrell will be in Kolkata April 11 to hold a week-long coaches’ training clinic under a three-year deal with the Indian Football Association (IFA).
Everton, one of the leading English Premier League clubs, has agreed in principle to a three-year deal with the IFA to deliver a grassroots football programme in the state of West Bengal. It is a further boost to the English team’s expanding international portfolio, which already includes strong partnerships in South East Asia and North America.
“Farrell and two others from Everton will arrive in Kolkata April 11. The camp will begin within a couple of days. It will be a coaches’ training programme aimed at developing the coaching standards at the grassroots and district level which is the breeding ground of footballers,” IFA Secretary U.K. Ganguly told IANS Wednesday,
“We are in the process of selecting a group of coaches and the whole process will be complete soon,” he said.
Though the camp will be a seven-day training session under a 20-day year-long programme, the coaching process will continue throughout the year through interactive internet classes, he added.
Farrell, who is also the head of International Football Development of Everton, is credited with introducing “The Everton Way”, a unique internet training methodology that has got a world-wide recognition as one of the most effective structures for youth players to grow into professionals.
In the second phase they may scout out a few talents who would then be taken to the Everton academy, Ganguly added.
Everton’s chief executive Keith Wyness said on the website: “We are delighted to have agreed this new partnership with the Indian Football Association. It is currently an extremely exciting time for the game in India and hopefully our expertise at grassroots level can help shape the future of their game.
“I know the sport is becoming increasingly popular in the territory with over 30 million people watching Premier League football last season. Audiences at that level demonstrate a real appetite to adopt our established and proven methods and we are only too happy to be a part of that here at Everton,” he added.