The India Panel at the Soccerex European Forum

For a second year running the Soccerex European Forum gave a platform for Indian football to showcase itself on Thursday, April 11 afternoon with this years panel having the title 'Awakening Football's Sleeping Giant'.

The India session was moderated by Sukhvinder Singh, the Managing Director of Libero Sports India. The panelists taking part were Vivek Narayan (Director Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India), Rajpal Singh (Director Sports & Youth Affairs, FICCI), Kunal Dua (Head - Sports Marketing, Panasonic India) and Shirish Kulkarni (Executive Director – DSK Group, Owner of DSK Shivajians FC - Pune).

The aim of the session was to shed light on the Indian football market besides giving a positive outlook to the international football fraternity, whose most generic question has been for years, when will the 'Sleeping Giant' finally wake-up and be a player in the global football business.

That question could not be answered by the session, but one key statement came from Vivek Narayan when he said that the Government of India had received a new draft proposal from FIFA on hosting the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, which the world governing body would like us to host but for that certain regulations would need to be changed.

Rajpal Singh spoke about the role of FICCI as being a bridge between the government and sports federations, while also organising its own events as FICCI Turf and FICCI GOAL in bringing the different stakeholders together.

Kunal Dua spoke about what Panasonic India has done to activate football as a marketing tool, but also using Bollywood and Cricket stars for its promotion. He also spoke about what Indian football needs to do to attract further sponsorship.

Shirish Kulkarni spoke from a perspective of a team owner of a 2nd Division I-League club in DSK Shivajians FC, which gave a different insight then the other speakers and also some infos on the I-League Franchise expansion plan.

In the end the session gave a positive outlook though the problems became evident when the Q&A session was held and the people present asked the tough questions.

Soccerex - India Panel: Awakening Football's Sleeping Giant

The Soccerex European Forum 2013 will be held on April 10/11 with leading figures of European and world football gathering in Manchester, England. And once again India will be on the agenda with an 'Football's Growth Markets' workshop solely focusing on Indian football going to be held on the second day of the Forum.

As someone who has been to a number of Soccerex conventions and forums, I know that India has been on the agenda of the Soccerex organisers for many, many years and they have given Indian football a global platform.

This time the India workshop is being hosted by Soccerex in conjunction with the Federation of Industrial Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Libero Sports (official Soccerex representatives in India).

The session will feature senior representatives from the key stakeholders involved in the development of Indian football. It will focus on the strategies and programmes currently in place as well as India's vision for football at both a domestic and international level.

Amongst the speakers will be Kushal Das (General Secretary, All India Football Federation), Pradeep Deb (Secretary of Sports, Government of India), Rajpal Singh (Director, Sports, Federation of Industrial Chambers of Commerce and Industry), Kunal Dua (Head, Sports Marketing, Panasonic India), Shirish Kulkarni (Owner, DSK Shivajians FC) and Sukhvinder Singh (Managing Director, Libero Sports India).

Photos: Panasonic Dream Camp in Shillong

Here photos from the inaugural Panasonic Dream Camp which was organised over the last couple of days in Shillong, Meghalaya.

Panasonic Dream Camp - Day Two

Yesterday marked the second and final day of the two-day Panasonic Dream Camp in Shillong. Like like on day one there were two training sessions on the artificial turf, a classroom session and a closing ceremony.

First training session - Defending
The morning session began at 8am with the focus on 'Defending'. This session comprised of small sided scenarios - 2 vs 2, 3 vs 3, 4 vs 4, Defensive positioning, basic principles of defending, and gradual progression. International defender Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh's valuable experience was used by the boys in following various defensive movements and covering opponents.

Classroom session
The classroom session saw India assistant coach Savio Medeira talk to the boys about Sports Nutrition and its benefits. This was followed by a look at a few goals from Indian team matches against Tajikistan and Syria in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup and 2009 ONGC Nehru Cup.

Second training session - New Formation of 4-3-3
The evening session introduced the players to Indian football's new philosophy - the 4-3-3 formation, adapting to different field positions and play, movement off the ball, and defensive shape formations.

Closing Ceremony
At 7pm, the boys assembled at the hotel for the closing ceremony of the Panasonic Dream Camp. The function was also attended by B. Diengdoh (Meghalaya Football Association Vice-President), S.S. Rapthap (MFA Joint Secretary), and Sunesh Syiem (MFA Convenor, Youth Development Cell).

Libero Sports' Sukhvinder Singh one-by-one invited the representative from Panasonic India, B. Diengdoh, Savio Medeira and Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh to speak a few words to the kids. Certificates, group photographs and footballs were handed over to boys by the guests from MFA, coaching staff and AIFF players. The representative from Panasonic India handed over some mementos to the coaches and players and later on presented a signed shirt to MFA as a token of appreciation. This was followed by dinner.

Panasonic Dream Camp - Day One

Yesterday marked the first of the two-day Panasonic Dream Camp in Shillong. After the initial introductions, the first day primarily focused on a couple of training sessions on the FIFA Artificial Turf, one each in the morning and evening along with a classroom session at the hotel.

First training session - Passing
The morning session began at 8am with some light rain around, with the boys making full use of their rain-proof track-suit. The session mainly focused on 'Passing'. After going through some dynamic stretching initially, the boys participated in some passive training that included free movement and more touches on the ball. Later, the training became more active to encourage decision making with opponents and involving various match related scenarios and focussing on receiving the ball. The 90 minute training session ended with a fifteen minute 11 a-side match and cooling down exercises.

Classroom session
Between the two on-field training sessions there was a classroom session conducted for the participants to discuss various nuances of the game of football by showing them videos from the recently held EURO2012. The boys enjoyed some of the best goals of the tournament and learnt about the high standard of international football. The classroom session also included videos on best training practices involving some special drills used by coaches for youngsters around the world.

2nd training session - Dribbling
The evening session focused on 'Dribbling' and involved pretty much the same passive and active training drills, but with a new theme. More drills were 1 vs 1 oriented to place emphasis on dribbling. The session ended with a 3-team league where 9 a-side matches were conducted.

After-dinner entertainment
After dinner at 9pm, the boys were shown the football game from a Hollywood movie, 'Escape to Victory'. It was a perfect way to relax for them after a long hard day of training by entertaining themselves by watching some of their favourite actors and players in a football movie. Lights were off at 10pm ahead of second day of action.

Panasonic Dream Camp for aspiring Footballers

Panasonic India along with Libero Sports is organizing a three day dream camp from today onwards for aspiring footballers which would provide them an opportunity to learn what it takes to represent India as an international player. The camp is being held at Shillong, Meghalaya.

At this three day residential camp, 28 junior players within the age group of 12-15 years will get a first-hand experience of what goes on at a national team training camp. This will include intensive training sessions, cool downs, in-classroom learning, videos, social time and a number of other unique football experiences.

Team India assistant coach Savio Medeira along with coaches Francisco Bruto da Costa and John Kenneth Raj are overseeing the technical aspects of the camp, while international players Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh, Sushil Kumar Singh and Renedy Singh are involved in the camp sharing their knowledge and experience of the game with the Dream Camp participants. On completion of the camp the participants will receive certificates signed by Panasonic and the AIFF.

The participating players were nominated by the Meghalaya Football Association and two were players selected from a Panasonic Facebook campaign. The players are housed at The EeeCee Hotel and all training sessions are taking place at the FIFA Artificial Turf Pitch.

The technical plan is designed and executed by the Panasonic Dream Camp Technical Director, Savio Medeira. While off-pitch, the participants will engage in Q&A with the AIFF players and coaches, watch highlight DVDs, discuss their football dreams and gain invaluable insight on what it takes to represent India at the international level.

Talking about the dream camp Manish Sharma, Managing Director at Consumer Product Division, Panasonic India, said, "Panasonic has been playing a significant role in promoting football in India through its partnership with the All India Football Federation. This extraordinary Dream Camp would be a rewarding experience for the aspiring young footballers and give them a chance to get game tips from professional players. It will also seek to set participants up for future success and encourage the spirit of football in the country."

AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das said, "I thank Panasonic for its significant contribution in our efforts to improve football both on-field and off-field. The continuous support from a brand like Panasonic encourages and ensures interest in the game. We are pleased to be associated and supported by Panasonic to help promote and take Indian football to the next level."

Expressing his view on the Dream Camp, former India captain Renedy Singh, said, "This camp is a wonderful platform for the young aspiring players to learn football tactics from professionals and interact with them. This is a great opportunity made possible by Panasonic by organizing such football coaching camp. I am really looking forward to the two-day long fun-filled learning experience."

It is the first camp of its kind and if it is successful then such camps could be held in other cities of the country.