Foreign coach arrives to hone young fottball talents
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 05 2013: For the first time in Manipur, a two-month residential football development programme with prominent international coach Stephen David Darby as chief coach began on Sunday at Khuman Lampak sports complex.

Manipur has produced a large number of national and international footballers and currently over 100 State players are associated with various prominent clubs of the country.

Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh opened the programme organized jointly by Manipur Development Society (MDS) and All Manipur Football Association ( AMFA) and supported by the Youth Affairs and Sports Department.

MDS project director Y Ningthem said the primary objective of the programme is to develop skills and tactics, physical and mental conditioning as well as to provide much needed exposure and impart knowledge on emerging trends of modern football to the budding players of the State.

Stephen David Darby

"I have seen hordes of talented Manipuri footballers playing in leading clubs of the country and my new mission to coach the young players here will definitely bear fruit," said chief coach Stephen David Darby.

Stephen, a holder of English (Football Association) Full 'A' license and who has coached a large number of international teams, said the talented young players of the State need more opportunities and hence they should be exposed to professional environment.

The English coach is assisted by three assistant coaches- Nandakumar Singh (AFC- "A") and L Chaoba Devi (AFC-"B") and G Dhanakumar Sharma- in the programme.

While Nandakumar and Chaoba are deputed by AMFA, Sharma has been nominated by the YAS Department.

Nandakumar said the programme would consistently impart an overall development of the game to the young players, thirty to them and ranging from 15 to 19 years drawn from across the State.

Addressing the inaugural function, Ibobi Singh said the foreign-coach-led programme would not only develop football skills of the young boys but also help the State coaches.

Stating that the required infrastructure around the current artificial football turf at Khuman Lampak like gallery and other enclosures would be set up soon, the Chief Minister also promised to construct similar grounds in all districts of the State.

At the end of the training programme, exhibition matches and interaction sessions would be organized in and outside the State to provide the trained players the opportunities to play and interact with popular teams, officials said.