Bharat FC lands Kris Bright, New Zealand International

Kris Bright, New Zealand, football, Soccer, India, Pune, I-league, Club, Bharat FC, Stuart Watkiss, Stanley Rozario, All WhitesNewly formed I-league club Bharat FC has signed their first player Kris Bright. Bright is a much traveled New Zealand international. Football News India had earlier revealed about this transfer.

Before landing in India, Kris Bright has played in Netherlands, Norway, Greece, England , Hungary, Malta and Finland. He has also earned six caps for the New Zealand national team and scored one goal.

Kris Bright’s Career Snapshot – Wikipedia

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Amit Kalyani, Executive Director of the Kalyani Group and Managing Director of Bharat FC, believed that it was Bright’s sharpness and awareness in front of goal that drew the club towards him. “Kris is a prolific goal-scorer and someone who can ably lead the line as we aim to start our first season strongly. He has managed to score in every country that he has played in and I am sure his Indian stint will be full of goals too,” he said.

The 28-year-old Kiwi said that the chance of leading the line at a new club and the responsibility of driving his side’s attacking endeavours were the main reasons that he agreed to the move. “I was very excited about coming to India after speaking to Stuart (Watkiss) and getting to know more about the project. Leading the line is something that I immensely enjoy and I hope to perform really for Bharat FC. Also, I would get a chance to interact with the young Indian players and pass on a few things that I have learnt over my career,” he said.

Stuart Watkiss, Bharat FC’s head-coach said he was impressed by Bright’s imposing presence and his eye for goal. “I have watched Kris a few times in England and it is apparent that he is a very fine striker. He manages to get into good positions, is very strong aerially and is sharp in front of goal. I am sure he will be a profitable asset for us in the I-League,” he said.

With inputs from Bharat FC’s press note.

British Council’s Premier Skills Program Kicks off in Kerala

British Council, Football, Kerala, Thrivananthapuram, Premier League, Goa, SAI, LNCPE, Referee, Coaching, Coaches, Fulham, Aston Villa, Tottenham, ScudamoreThe hugely successful Premier Skills initiative, run by the Premier League and the British Council was launched on Monday 24 November 2014 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.

Premier Skills will take place from 24 to 30 November 2014. The training will be held at Sports Authority of India Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education, Kariavattom P.O.; Thiruvananthapuram 695581, Kerala.

British Council, Football, Kerala, Thrivananthapuram, Premier League, Goa, SAI, LNCPE, Referee, Coaching, Coaches, Fulham, Aston Villa, Tottenham, ScudamoreThis is the first phase of a three-phase training programme for coaches and two-phase training programme for referees in Thiruvananthapuram.

Premier Skills is a partnership between the British Council and the Premier League. It uses football as a tool to help develop both community coaching and English language skills. The programme trains sports coaches, referees and youth leaders to return to their own communities and enhance their existing football sessions, whilst also developing their leadership skills and a greater understanding of the role football can play in tackling other social issues.

The coach education programme will be led by head coach Jeremy Weeks, who was a senior coach at Fulham FC till May 2011 which he left to join the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Organising Committee (LOCOG) where he was the Paralympic Football Competition Manager. He will be supported by Corinne Mitchell, community coach from Aston Villa Football Club, Daniel Landstrom from City in the Community Foundation of Manchester City Football Club, Daniel Slaughter, Inclusion Development Manager at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and Kelvin Chee a Premier Skills community coach educator from Malaysia.

The referee development programme will be led by Ray Olivier, Training & Development Manager for the Professional Game Match Officials and responsible for the training and development of Premier League and Football League referees and Assistant Referees in England. He will be supported by Keren Barratt, Select Group Referee Manager for the Professional Game Match Officials.

The course in Thiruvananthapuram is being jointly organised by the British Council and Premier League in association with Sports Authority of India (SAI), Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education, All India Football Federation (AIFF), Kerala Football Association (KFA) and Goa Football Association (GFA).

British Council, Football, Kerala, Thrivananthapuram, Premier League, Goa, SAI, LNCPE, Referee, Coaching, Coaches, Fulham, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Scudamore

Participants in the programme have been selected from the Football associations as well as from a number of NGO’s, including Special Olympics, Cequin, Oscar Foundation and World Vision.

The coaches and referees will receive training from qualified Premier Skills coaches, giving them the skills and support to develop their own community football projects and development as referees.

In addition to the training, the UK referee trainers will hold a referee symposium event on 27 November.

As of 2013, Premier Skills has trained 2,500 coaches and referees in 25 countries across Asia, Africa and the Americas, who in turn have reached a further 550,000 young people. By 2016 it aims to train a further 3,000 coaches and referees and through them reach more than 300,000 young people.

British Council, Football, Kerala, Thrivananthapuram, Premier League, Goa, SAI, LNCPE, Referee, Coaching, Coaches, Fulham, Aston Villa, Tottenham, ScudamoreIn addition to coaching, a range of free materials, including a dedicated website, have been created under Premier Skills for teachers and learners of English that utilise exciting Premier League content and the British Council’s world-class expertise in English.

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore said:

“At home the Premier League and our Clubs have a long-held commitment and reputation for delivering high quality community and education programmes. Given our popularity internationally we felt it only right to take this approach to a wider community.

“Premier Skills has already taken place in 25 countries, including in India where we have run coach development projects in Delhi and Kolkata and are heavily involved in the ground-breaking Kolkata Goalz project, which has over 1,000 young people involved a week in its activities. I am thrilled that we are now rolling Premier Skills rolling out in India this week.”

Ms Mei-kwei Barker, Director, British Council South India said, “We are delighted to introduce Premier Skills, our very successful partnership project with the Premier League, to South India. It combines English and football, two universal languages and with the support of our local partners in India — Sports Authority of India (SAI), Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education, All India Football Federation (AIFF), Kerala Football Association (KFA) and Goa Football Association (GFA) — we have been able to provide this opportunity. We hope the coaches and referees find this training useful and we are able to bring more such programmes here over the next few years.”

The Programme

Coach Education Programme: 24 – 30 November 2014

The Coach Education curriculum aims to develop a group of local master trainers at the end of the programme. It will help to develop community coach skills and knowledge. The training will be in three parts, over 18 – 24 months and involves attendance at and graduation from each part of the training. There will be learning and practical tasks that must be completed between each of the training. Those that are successful will need to demonstrate continued progress throughout the 3 Phases and with the tasks that they will be asked to complete between the training phases. Successful Phase 3 Graduates will become Premier Skills Coach Educators – and they will have an opportunity to train and develop new Premier Skills Community Coaches to support the work of their organisation.

Referee Development programme: 24 – 26 November 2014

The Referee Development programme is a two phase programme which offers participants an introduction to refereeing at grassroots level. Participants include referees that are already working in community football programmes but who have received minimal or no formal training to improve their refereeing skills and knowledge.

Referee symposium: 27 November 2014

The symposium will be a mixture of interactive presentations designed to provide a modern update in both referee and assistant referee skills. The sessions will also be helpful for instructors and assessors to use the material for further developing their referees in their communities. Included in the presentations will be looking at the following training topics:

  1. Critical Incidents and Communication
  2. Recognising Foul Challenges
  3. Offside Situations and Interpretation
  4. Positioning & Movement
  5. Referee & Assistant Referee Cooperation

To find out more about the football-focused English content and to view the materials online, visit http://premierskills.britishcouncil.org/

Crystal Palace Tie up with Mumbai City FC

Crystal Palace, Indian Super League, Premier League, Barclays, Live, Mumbai, Mumbai City FC, Hero ISL, ISL, Mark Bright, England, EPL, Football, IndiaEnglish Premier League club Crystal Palace has tied up with Mumbai ISL franchise Mumbai City FC. Mumbai City FC along with Star Sports and Crystal Palace will stage a trial on thursday December 11th for 16-19 years olds in Mumbai.

12 players selected from this trial will be invited to perform their skills at the Barclays Premier League’s international fan park in Mumbai where live Premier League matches are to be screened.

A Crystal Palace delegation, led by club ambassador Mark Bright, will be assessing the selected footballers and the winner of the Play for Palace will travel to London to train with Crystal Palace’s young prospects.

Mark Bright who has scored more than 100 goals for Palace was quoted saying,

“This will be the chance of a lifetime. The winner of the competition will get a fantastic experience playing at the Academy and then go back to India to become an ambassador for Palace.

“This is a unique initiative. Everyone has a favourite local team and favourite overseas team – we want football fans in India to follow us.

“We know cricket is the number one sport in India, but football is global and it would be great to see an Indian-born player in the Premier League one day. They would become an idol and an inspiration”.

Crystal Palace chief executive Phil Alexander was quoted in the media saying, “We are very excited to be going to India to show ourselves to a new army of fans. The Premier League is booming in India and it’s a great chance for us to extend the club’s reach”.

A Mumbai City FC spokesman is also quoted in the reports. He said : “India,and Mumbai in particular, has a lot of football talent waiting to be harnessed and promoted. This initiative will provide a great platform for the youth of the city to showcase their skills and win the opportunity of a lifetime”.

More on the same here.

I-league to Kickoff on January 17, 2015 in Bengaluru

ileague, football, india, soccer, league, bengaluruFollowing are the main decisions of the I-League and Federation Cup Committee meeting that took place today.

I-league
  • To kick-off on January 17th in Bengaluru
  • 75 out of the 110 league matches to be telecast by Ten Sports.
  • Web streaming of the matches to be available.
  • Registration of players will be done centrally through states associations.
  • Further discussions will be held on whether Goal Keeping coach can be seated on the bench during the match.
  • AIFF will monitor practice sessions of I-league Clubs.
  • Only A-License holders will be allowed to conduct coaching and training.
  • Coaches without A-license will not be allowed sit on the bench or even enter the dressing room on a match day.
U-15 League
  • To be a 16 team affair that would kickoff in the next calendar year.
  • Teams from 10  I-league clubs, 4 other academies and two AIFF academies will take part in the tournament.
  • Coca-Cola would be a sponsor for the tournament.
I-league 2nd Division
  • To take place in two venues which are not yet finalised.
  • 8 participating teams Clubs are
    • Aizawl FC
    • Chanmari FC
    • United Sports Club
    • Mohammedan Sporting
    • PIFA Sports
    • Kenkre Sports
    • Hindustan FC
    • Lonestar Kashmir FC.
I-league U-19
  • To kick-off in 2nd week of December.

Bharat FC is here! The New I-league Club from Pune

ileague,  pune, football, kalyani group, Bharat fc, Soccer, stuart watkiss, Santley Rozario The Kalyani Group on Sunday launched their football club named “Bharat FC”. The Group unveiled the name and philosophy of its football cluband launched the club-crest during a press conference at the city’s JW Marriot. The unveiling of the name and the club-crest was done by AmitKalyani, Executive Director Kalyani Group, KunalAgarwal, Director Bharat FC along with Stuart Watkiss and Stanly Rozario, the head-coach and assistant coach of Bharat FC respectively.

The club crest celebrates the spirit of People’s Club featuring the iconic India Gate monument with a majestic lion striding powerfully through it and a football graphically developed to show people standing in a huddle. All of this coming together to be part of a royal shield impressively forming the club crest in striking red and blue colours.

Elaborating on the Philosophy of the team, AmitKalyani said that, “The very ethos of Bharat FC is rooted in being a People’s Club. It is India’s Club based in Pune.And this philosophy is instrumental in giving its elements to the club-crest and its baseline “Together. Forever.Triumphant.” He added that “Though we are the Puneri team, the idea of spreading the magic and joy of football all through our country was foremost on our minds. Bharat FC aims not just to be Pune’s favourite team but one that all of India can identify with and follow.”

Talking about the way forward, Amit Kalyani,added that, “We will focus on all aspects of football and going forward we will look at further enhancing the youth development and grass root programs. We are looking at bringing talent from India and abroad and adopt best practices for building a strong foundation for Bharat FC.”

Stuart Watkiss, who has been appointed as head-coach of the team, said that it was the Kalyani Group’s pursuit of excellence that drew him towards the club. “We look to promote excellence and a deep sense of commitment on the football pitch. These two values are very close to the Kalyani Group’s heart and we hope to translate the same on the pitch. Building a club from scratch, assembling a competitive team, playing attractive and effective football are our current goals and we will be going all out to achieve them,” he said.

Kunal Agarwal, Director Bharat FC, said that the chance to construct an ultra-professional football club, one able to hold its own with the best in Asia was the clinching factor behind him coming on board. “Raising the bar for football clubs in India is something that has always been a passion for me. A well-managed, professional club can offer a lot of benefits for society as a whole apart from serving as a catalyst for the growth of the standard of football in India. I believe that Bharat FC gives us the opportunity to build a family that would strive to deliver a lot more beyond football to the entire community so everyone can share the success,” he said.

Bharat FC will start its games with the I-League slated to start in January 2015. Bharat FC will be playing its home games at Balewadi stadium in Pune.

Logo Philosophy

The club-crest has iconic India Gate monument representing the knowledge, sacrifice and wisdom that has gone into making India the glorious and diverse country that it is. The India Gate is crowned by a football that has been graphically developed to show people standing in a huddle, symbolizing the unity and teamwork that will be the cornerstones of Bharat FC. The lion beneath India Gate has been integrated to symbolize the courage, grace and athleticism which will be the hallmarks of the team. All the three elements have been contained within a royal shield which signifies the resolve and steadfastness of the football club as well as the Kalyani Group.

The primary colours in the club-crest of Bharat FC are red and blue. Red signifies passion, activity and a vigorous impatience to move forward all the time. Blue epitomizes truth and loyalty, two qualities that have always been a very integral part of the Kalyani Group’s philosophy and will be important pillars in Bharat FC as well.

About Kalyani Group

The Kalyani Group, established in mid 1960s, is an Indian multi-national with high technology, engineering & manufacturing capability across critical sectors such as Engineering Steel, Automotive, Industrial, Renewable Energy, Urban Infrastructure and Specialty Chemicals. Guided by visionary leadership of Mr BN Kalyani, Group Chairman, with strong emphasis on market leadership through technology and it’s over 10,000 strong engineering global workforce, the group today is a market leader in all its respective business segments.

India thrash Nepal 6-0 to become 3rd time SAFF Champions

India, Nepal, Womens, SAFF, Indianfootball, Bangladesh, Maldives, Afghanistan, Bala Devi, Manipur, South Asia, Womens Football, SoccerIndian women’s football team put on a splendid performance to thrash Nepal 6-0 in the finals to lift the cup the third time in a succession. Bala Devi scored four goals for India in the finals.

After a relatively slow start to the match, India started their goal glut by the 26th minute through Kamala Devi. From then on the hapless Nepal team wilted under Indian dominance. In the last five minutes of the first half, Bala Devi struck twice as India lead 3-0 at halftime.

Within two minutes into the second half India scored again through Romi Devi. From then on, India scored at will till the final minutes taking the tally to half a dozen goals. Bala Devi doubled her tally to four in the match by scoring in the 51st and 92nd minute of the match.

India was in Group A of the tournament along with Bangladesh, Maldives and Afghanistan. In the group matches India defeated Maldives 8-0, Bangladesh 5-1, Afghanistan 12-0. And in the semi finals they routed Sri Lanka 5-0.

India Squad Finals :

India played 5 matches, scored 36 goals and conceded one. Baladevi who has been in terrific form had earlier told the Pakistan media that her target is to score 16 goals in the tournament. In fact she did achieve her target and 16 goals is the highest tally in a single edition of the championship, since its inception in 2010.

 

Ronnie Screwvala’s UniLazer Ventures and Bundesliga’s TSG 1899 Hoffenheim to launch Football Academies

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, Football, India, Unilazer ventures, Ronnie Screwala, Football, Grassroots, Academy, BundesligaAccording to a report in bundesliga.com TSG 1899 Hoffenheim have struck a deal with bollywood producer Ronnie Screwvala’s UniLazer Ventures to provide support for football promotion among children in India.

This initiative will begin with talent scouting at over 1000 schools across 50 cities in India says the report. Half a million children are expected to be part of this exercise. 30 selected students will get an opporutnity to travel to Germany and train with Hoffenheim. As part of this deal, Hoffenheim will help training coaches in india as well.

“TSG are the ideal partners to approach and realise these goals on a long-term basis,”. “This type of co-operation – to develop children and young players – fits perfectly with our philosophy. We can learn a lot from one another, both on and off the pitch.” said Thomas Richter, Hoffenheim’s director of sales, communication and internationalisation to bundesliga.com

There were rumors about Unilazer ventures foraying into football but nothing concrete came up. However, earlier this year Ronnie Screwvala’s firm invested in pro-kabbadi tournament and owns the Mumbai franchise Umumba in the tournament. This tie up with Hoffenheim would be Unilazer’s first attempt to foray into the bustling football scene in India.

Manipur to conduct School Girls Football Festival

The Andro Mahila Madal Association will conduct School Girls football Festival 2015 in Manipur. The objective of this football festival is to revive the glory of team sports like football in schools and become the foundation to a sporting state and bring glory to Manipur. In addition to this, the football festival will focus on bringing school girls to active lifestyle and good health. The festival focuses on women empowerment, confidence and creativity. School Girls from classes 7,8 & 9 are welcome to participate in the festival.

The football festival is divided into two programs.

  • School Coaches Workshop & Training for Fun Football in Schools
  • Fun Carnival games and 7 a side tournament for all participating students

AMMA is a women’s organisation working with young girls and supporting their sporting talents and encouraging young girls to play team sports like football since 1993.

Dana Cup, one of the worlds largest football tournaments that takes place every year in Denmark is a partner in this football festival.

Manipur, Girls, Football, AMMA, India, Soccer, Bikram Singh , Dana Cup, Denmark