New Delhi: Spanish football giants FC Barcelona have trained their attention towards India in the form up a training camp aimed at youth development, thereby becoming the first overseas club to set up a clinic in the country.
Barcelona are set to launch their FCBEscola Clinics in India, with the purpose of scouting talent for the club’s football academy. According to the website SportsKeeda, the football clinics will be held at six venues across India - including the Heritage School in Gurgain and IOS Maiden in New Delhi, as well as in Chandigarh and Bangalore - from December 15 2012 to January 20, 2013 and conducted under the supervision of Antonio Claveria, the technical director of FCBEscola India.
"We have been conducting FCB Camps in India since December 2011 and have found potential amongst many of the participants. While we have shortlisted potential participants from the earlier camps, the Clinics will give impetus to finalise the students who are going to be part of FCBEscola Academy," said Claveria. "The Clinics will be very focused and intensive. We will be training in the absolute Barca module and the entrants to the Academy will be handpicked."
Added Anu Jain, director of Conscient Football: "We will be helping in creating footballers of tomorrow whose skill and talent will be at par with any top international football playing nation. It will be our endeavour to create footballers who will be able to represent India.
"Marketing of football in India is still at its nascent stage. Though the market is pegged around US$ 410 million, brand and more often than not, people are apprehensive about investing in football. We need to develop infrastructure and create heroes to bring football to a level where parents and their wards both want to be part of the football fraternity."
FCBEscola India has collaborated with Gurgaon’s The Heritage School to fulfill the academic needs for players who get selected for the Academy. Fees for one batch of training are Rs 13,500.
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