Bhawanipore FC ProIndia Centre of Excellence becomes an affiliate partner of LaLiga Academy Schools India in Kolkata

LaLiga, one the best football leagues in the world, has brought its grassroots football development programme to India to cultivate and nurture young and budding footballers in India, with their methodology and training systems. LaLiga Academy Football Schools India have partnered with Bhawanipore FC ProIndia Centre of Excellence for this prupose. LaLiga is known to produce some of the biggest names in World football, and will now find and create future stars of Indian football.

This program has been designed by the Global Technical Director of LaLiga with the help of an expert team from different countries. This programme will help combine football cultures of various regions and add a potent mix of Spanish flair and technique to Indian football. Miguel Casal, the Technical Director of the LaLiga Academy Football Schools India, will also be a part of the team to run the programme.

Principal verticals of Bhawanipore FC ProIndia Centre of Excellence

Bhawanipore FC ProIndia Centre of Excellence will have three principal verticals:

• Providing a structured and uniform football curriculum, created by the LaLiga Academy, to AFC and LaLiga qualified coaches.
• Introducing Step Out Analytics, a company based out of Bengaluru which manages professional teams from the I-League. The company has already started football analytics from grassroots to youth levels. Step Out will hand over its analytical know-how to coaches and scouts to aid in the overall progress of Indian football.
• Introducing a professional television channel as a platform to showcase Academy matches, the AIFF Blue Cubs, and practice sessions across the country.

M. Miguel Casal, the Technical Director of the LaLiga Academy Football Schools India said, “I’m happy to represent the La Liga Academy India. We have different programmes in this country and intend to provide technical support through a series of actions. For example, visiting the centres, giving training to coaches so that they can develop their knowledge."

"We are focusing on the grassroots programme because we want more kids to play under the La Liga methodology. We want to teach them how to play football our way. Kolkata is one of the best football-loving cities in India, so we had no difficulty in selecting it as the location for our centre,” he went on to add. 

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On behalf of Bhawanipore FC, Mr. Srinjoy Bose said, “Bhawanipore FC ProIndia will have several player development centres across West Bengal, in various schools from several districts. The AIFF scouts can handpick talents from these centres and take them to our Elite Player Development Centre, and eventually to the Bhawanipore FC ProIndia Centre Of Excellence. At the Centre of Excellence, players will benefit from a holistic LaLiga Academy curriculum as they are being nurtured for AIFF and IFA age-category tournaments for the under 13, under 15, and under 17 levels.”

According to Mr. Sayak Ghosh, co-founder, Step Out Analytics, “This is a special tie-up because no one in India has ever thought of introducing professional analytics at the grass-root level. We are excited to contribute our curriculum to the Bengal football ecosystem. I am certain that the scientific approach from Bhawanipore FC ProIndia will be a powerful catalyst for the effective growth of football.”

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Aparup Chakraborty, CEO, Bhawanipore FC ProIndia Academy, highlighted the strong Spanish influence in Indian football, especially when it comes to importing our coaches from the land of Xavi and Iniesta. “Several top teams in the Indian Super League (ISL) have Spanish coaches, who bring with them their tactical expertise and inimitable playing style. To structure this progression, the introduction of Spanish football methodology at the grass-root level is essential for early acclimatization.

"By familiarizing young players with the Spanish system from a young age, we can better equip them to adapt and excel under Spanish coaches later in their careers. This system will also help players avoid potential difficulties in adapting to a different system when they are 21 and at a crucial developmental stage.”

"In essence, this project advocates for a more scientific and systemic approach to training young footballers. Integrating the Spanish philosophy from the grassroots can create a generation of Indian players who are comfortable and successful within that system," a press release on behalf of Bhawanipore FC ProIndia Centre of Excellence stated.