SHILLONG: As Shillong Lajong FC (SLFC) drew spotlight after becoming India’s first football club to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) after its merger with Dubai based multinational corporation Anglian Holdings which resulted in SLFC’s tie up with Denmark-based First Division football club FC Vestsjaelland (also known as FCV Vikings), The Shillong Times tried to find out what the venture means for the Lajong players and what impact it would have on football in Meghalaya and the North East as a whole.
ST caught up with Lajong coach Pradhyum Reddy. Here are the excerpts from the interview:
What does the recent merger between Lajong and Anglian which resulted in a tie up with Danish club FCV Vikings mean to Lajong players?
The recent merger will benefit the club in a myriad of ways,
1).Increased advertising/sponsorship through Anglian’s expertise in marketing the club, the knock on benefits will be felt by the players.
2).Sharing of modern coaching methodologies from the coaching staff at FCV Vikings.
3). Direct investment into Lajong’s Academy.
4). Improved facilities for all the players and staff at SLFC.
5). Opportunities to train and possibly play abroad.
All this should not only help us retain our most talented players but also help to nurture the stars of the future from the North East at a world class Academy that should be the beacon for all others in India.
What developments or changes can we expect to see with time and how soon or gradually would they be implemented?
The work for the Academy will begin immediately in several phases. The restructuring of the staff and addition of specialist academy staff will take place at the end of this season.
Talent identification will also begin immediately. Scouts have been identified in key areas of the North East and these coaches will be given training as to what kind of players Lajong are looking for. The youngest of these players will remain in their local areas and train regularly under the guidance of a Lajong coach/scout and the best of them will be chosen for the respective age group teams each year.
A few first team players & staff will also travel to Denmark at the end of this season to gain the experience of European training methodologies.
How is the mood in the camp following the merger, especially the junior team? Do they think more is expected of them now?
The first team players were certainly buoyed by the news of the merger, as has been seen in the performances in the last few matches. The junior players are yet to comprehend the changes it will make to them, but no doubt with time, we should expect to see a change in their focus too.
Do you think the merger increases the team’s responsibility to fare better?
No doubt the fans’ expectations will increase, but our goals have always remained the same from the moment this project began. The aim is not only to see Lajong consistently compete amongst the top 5 clubs in the next 2 years but to do this simultaneously as we develop our Academy to be the best in India. If we succeed in the latter, only then we can go on to achieve even greater goals with the first team.
Is there any plan to send players (to Europe) and vice versa on a quarterly or half-yearly basis as of now?
As mentioned we will be sending 3-4 players over to Denmark this summer as FCV Vikings season comes to a close. In the future we would like to have some of our junior & especially intermediate aged players spend a significant time ( at least a month) working with their equivalent age groups in Europe.
Will coaching teams come down from Vikings for short training stints any soon?
The idea is to have the coaching staff from FCV Vikings visit us and pass on some advice while they also learn more about our infrastructure. The exact time frames haven’t been finalized but we feel we be able to work out a mutual exchange programme very soon.
Does the merger give the club the luxury of having more funds at its disposal to utilize better for the development of the Academy?
Yes, a significant portion of the funds from the merger will be utilized for the restructuring & improvement of the Academy.
Do you see your role becoming more vital after the latest development? My focus will continue to be the first team and their results, but we have to oversee the youth programme in such a way that we ensure a pipeline of talent flowing into the senior team . We have had four junior players graduate to the senior team this year & we will expect the same numbers of the next two years.
To ensure that the quality of players coming into the Academy is improved we have identified scouts in Mizoram, Manipur, Assam and Meghalaya. The criteria for the players that Lajong is looking for is prescribed by the style of play of the senior team, any young players dreaming of playing for Lajong must be taught to play “the Lajong way”.
Do you think this move (merger) would drive more youth to football in this part of the country ?
We certainly hope this venture helps to propel football in the North East and we hope our Academy is the beacon that young footballers, especially from North East aspire for. (As told to Nabarun Goswami)