Barefoot Footballers / Street footballers

Courtesty : Image via Straight from a movie

The movie, Pele birth of a legend has been a delight to all football lovers. It talks about how Pele transformed from being just a barefoot street footballer to the one who became the nation’s World Cup hero, winning it three times in a row.

Barefoot football is not something which is new to Indian. Our streets are filled with soccer lovers whose footwear become the goal posts and they try to score between the two posts.

Playing barefoot develops one skill of ball control. It gives you a real feel of the ball on your foot. You change your directions very quickly and alter the pace much better than with cleats on. 100 % of the touch goes to the brain and nothing is lost on the shoe, so your feel on the ball is much better too. Also finally the lower part of your feet muscles get automatically strengthened.

Having said all that, its time know that football has evolved and so has the practice of wearing soccer shoes while playing. Even the barefoot street player, Pele, had to wear shoes to play professional. Indian soccer, as it is already has needs to continue to move away from just the streets. There are so many bare footers who can’t do a thing with the ball when they have shoes on.

So how can the quality of football improve in this great talented nation of 1.2 billion people? A possible answer is to move from streets to soccer fields, wear shoes rather than play barefoot every time. The influence of football has grown in India in the recent past. It won’t be too long that the way hockey was overtaken by cricket, football will overtake cricket. It is not very far for football to become our national sport. It is not very far that India will play FIFA World Cup. It is not very distant when huge money will be spent by the big clubs on Indian players and great clubs will be birthed here.

All it takes is a dreamer. Someone who will dare to walk away the comfortable streets in to the football fields, who will wear the shoes and work hard enough to see this generation take the world stage in representing India. Come on Indian Peles it is time to take the big stage.

Vijay David, Assistant Coach, BCFC

Kick Off

Over the last few weeks we have seen some great matches all over Europe. We cannot wait to see the many talented Indian footballers participate one day!   As the overseas leagues and tournaments are nearing the end of their season we at The Bangalore City Football Club™ are nearing the start of our season.  Once the Euro's are over our first practices will start in July...we are excited to see each one of you on the field. 

Registration for the club will start this Monday ( April 25th ) and for those who register in April or May the Rs1000 registration fee will be waived!   Also, the 1st, 2nd and 5th players to register will receive a free Bangalore City FC Training shirt. You can register by contacting us at info@bangalorecityfc.com or minlun@bangalorecityfc.com.  You can also reach us at +91 7848008800 to coordinate the pick up of your registration forms.   Seats are limited so hurry up and be part of total football in India. 

Stay tuned for any updates and other news on our Facebook page!   

Dreaming Big

When I first arrived in India in 2008 there were so many things to take in; the amazing food for one, and the many spoken languages.  I learned of people's love for cricket, how to drive in crazy traffic, and was so blessed by the friendliness of people and family life in this new nation. I started to hear about Bollywood, and loved the amazing geographical diversity and the list goes on. However, what also stood out to me and really surprised me was the love and passion for football amongst the youth in India. During my years in India, I have seen so many youngsters kick a ball on the street, in a park, at their school, on a field, and even inside their homes :) That's when I started dreaming big and believing Indian players will one day represent their nation at the World Cup.

Having coached many players myself from different parts of India that belief has only grown. The talent is here, it's all around us! I don't believe football talent is limited to a geographical area like Europe, South America, or Africa. There is great talent all across the world and there is great talent in India also. If Argentina can produce one Messi then I really believe there are at-least 25 players just as talented as Messi somewhere in India right now! What? You might think I am crazy but I am believing it :) Let's go find them.

Having traveled across the world I believe another thing is possible in India. If Manchester, England, which is a city with an estimated population over half a million, has two great clubs (United and City), and many many other teams in and around the city. Then I believe cities in India should and could produce more quality clubs. More clubs means more quality leagues, better player development, and a new football culture in India which hopefully will lead to qualifying for the World Cup one day. 

So wherever you are in India, wherever you are playing, keep dreaming big and believing you can do this. Let's do it together.

#IndiaWorldCupDreams

Bo Renes, Head Coach BCFC