Certified coaches, grassroots development: How this Pune company is looking to harness sporting talents of children

“While the government is focusing a lot on sportspersons, who have shown promise at the state, district or national level, and aiding them to become international champions, we feel that a bigger cultural shift is required at the grassroots level in terms of the adoption of sports by children from a very young age,” says Sourjyendu Medda, the CEO, who has founded the company with Armaan Tandon, the COO.

SFL’s interventions are in the form of academies for football, tennis, chess, table tennis, squash, basketball and badminton. Their target is children aged 5 to 17. Apart from certified coaches, competitions, and tournaments, such as the SFL Football League, the company employs a methodology that combines tactical training, physical conditioning, and mental preparation.

Parents can monitor progress

Additionally, it harnesses technology in the form of an app to enable parents to follow their child’s progress. They get live updates, match alerts and progress reports to celebrate.

The company started in Mumbai last year and has set up academies in football, lawn tennis and table tennis in Pune this year. “A badminton centre in Pune is starting in October,” says Medda.

“From a sporting perspective, Pune has a better ecosystem than Mumbai. Pune has a lot of good sports infrastructure that we can utilise for our coaching practices. The overall culture is such that even adults engage in sports, and the weather supports a variety of sports. Because the commute times are not as long as in Mumbai, people also have time for a vocation or proper training. I hope that Pune will be as big as Mumbai,” adds Medda.

In October, SFL will launch a six-month flagship football tournament in Pune for children aged 5 to 18. “This will be the largest private football tournament for the city and the state, because we are doing it in Mumbai as well. We will see more than 3,000 footballers from 200 teams participating,” says Medda. Also on the cards are tournaments for tennis and badminton in a few months.

Aim of making coaching a lucrative career

As SFL opens academies across major cities in India, an age-old problem stands as a hurdle. Historically, coaches are paid very little in the country. The result is that many sportspeople who have passed their playing age do not pursue coaching as a profession. As with teachers in school rooms, the sports field will shine only under the guidance of a dedicated coach.

“We are changing that culture by bringing better livelihood for people who are good at sports and coaching. Their remuneration and perks are such that they can view coaching as a lucrative career. Good coaches tend to attract better children, so the whole cycle has to be created. This is what we are focusing on,” says Medda.

Though SFL would like champions to emerge, the greater plan is to inculcate a love for sports in children. India is one of the epicentres of childhood obesity in the country.

“A lot of parents are sending children to our classes just because they want them to be active, not that they will become champions. They know that not every child will bring gold medals, but all children benefit from quality training,” he says.