adidas and Chelsea FC train Mumbai's young footballing talent

After giving Delhi a taste of how football is played the Chelsea way, adidas, the Blues from London gave young footballers in Mumbai an unmatched experience-cum-training opportunity with the youth coaches from the UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea FC. The adidas-Chelsea FC Foundation Clinic kicked off at Priyadarshini Park, Napensea Road in Mumbai yesterday.

The foundation clinic was preceded by a month long scouting program - the adidas Predator Camp, conducted across 8 leading schools in Mumbai, including Dhirubhai Ambani School, Campion and DY Patil International. This scouting camp yielded 150 of the best footballing talent from the city. The Chelsea FC youth coaches also held a master-class training session with the respective school coaches, sharing essential training techniques to improve talent coaching and development.

Speaking about the clinic, Tushar Goculdas, Brand Director at adidas India, said, "Football is at the core of our brand's rich heritage and adidas is deeply committed towards building India's success as a footballing nation. Over the last few years we have consistently supported grassroots programs to help the development of young footballers. Mumbai is all in for the adidas-Chelsea FC Foundation Clinic and we plan to expand the program to more cities to encourage aspiring footballers from across the country."

The clinic was supervised by Steve Winnet, who is currently head coach of the Chelsea FC Boys College Academy. Steve has had been coaching for 12 years, working in different countries representing the Chelsea FC International Development Team. Before working at Chelsea FC he was a full time coach at the famous David Beckham Academy in London. Assisting Winnet at the clinic are youth coaches Sam Hubert, Gareth Davies, James Phillips, Julian Hart and Kane Cowburn.

Speaking at the clinic coach Steve Winnet said, "During the first foundation clinic conducted in New Delhi this May, we were extremely encouraged by the skill and passion showcased by the kids. We believed there was tremendous potential in other cities too and were excited to come to Mumbai. These kids are amongst the most talented and dedicated young footballers that we have coached. We believe the right training methods can really help these youngsters improve their game to world class level."

The adidas-Chelsea FC Clinic is working to take the football fever to another level in India and give young Indian footballers an 'all Blue' experience.