Six years ago,when the Chandigarh Football Academy entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sportscheule Egidious Braun,Leipzig,Germany,for an advanced training in football for five years,it ushered a new chapter in the history of Chandigarh football. The exposure trip provided the trainees of the academy the opportunity to train under some of the best coaches in Germany. Soon after the trip,they also started winning national level titles. The number of players making it to Indian Under-14 and Under-16 teams swelled. The exposure trip was a boon for the city footballers. But the UT Sports Department,for reasons unknown,stopped sending players for exposure trip from April 2009. However,the Sports Department is once again working on sending players on exposure trips. Sources say,not only footballers,but also hockey players will be sent on exposure trips in either October or November. A proposal has already been moved. Sunil Bhatia,Director Sports,UT Administration,said,I am aware that football players were being sent to Germany for exposure trip. However,it was stopped a few years ago. We are now exploring the possibilities again. If not Germany,then some other place may be. Two places -Singapore Sports School Football Academy and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) office in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia- have been shortlisted. The recent exodus of players to other academies and clubs is being seen as the main reason for the revival of exposure trip. In the last two years,nine members of the senior teams of CFA have left the academy and joined other academies or clubs. Keeping in view the mass exodus,a proposal to send the players to foreign countries for exposure trips so as to keep them with the academy,was mooted. However,the UT Sports Department denied the claims. The exposure trip has nothing to do with players leaving the academy, Bhatia said. Harjinder Singh,coach of CFA,said the exposure trips will have a positive effect on players and Chandigarh football. If it happens,it will be a good sign for the future of the players. They are playing at the highest level and they need exposure trips to compete with the best. It is a welcome news, he said. Since April 2009,the Chandigarh Administration has not sent Chandigarh Football Academy players on exposure trips to Germany despite five-year Memorandum of Understanding with the Sportschedule Egidius Braun in Leipzig,Germany. The CFHA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Sportschedule Egidious Braun,Leipzig,Germany for the advance training of football trainees twice a year. The 1st batch was sent in May,07 and 2nd batch in November,07 for 15 days. From the financial year 2008-09,the coaching period was extended from 15 to 21 days and 1st batch of 15 trainees visited Germany from May 6 to 26,2008.
