115 soccer players chosen on 1st day of Airtel Rising Star contest
Panaji, Aug 18 (UNI)
As many as 115 promising players of 700 participants were chosen on the first day of the 'Airtel Rising Stars' - the country's largest under-16 soccer talent hunt, at Poriat Ground, Calangute in north Goa today.
Launched in association with Manchester United (one of the best soccer clubs in the world), 'Airtel Rising Stars' is a rigorous scouting programme that will cover 16 cities across India and choose 12 talented footballers who will get the chance-of-a-lifetime to attend a week long training camp at Manchester United Soccer Schools.
The unique format of 'Airtel Rising Stars' ensured that each player at the camp got an equal opportunity and time to demonstrate their skills, overseen by officially certified and renowned coaches.
All the players showed tremendous potential, confidence and enthusiasm to prove their capability on the first day of their camp. Players were shortlisted for Day one purely based on their talent and expertise. These included technical and tactical skill, physical and mental strength, social skills, behaviour, communication, discipline, enthusiasm and fair play.
Spread over three months, the talent hunt will be conducted in 16 Indian cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Goa, Kolkata, Bangalore, Calicut, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Shillong, Pune, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Chennai, Hyderabad and Jaipur, with the support of the respective state and district football associations.
The best three players from each of the 16 cities will be picked to attend a final six-day camp-cum-selection trial conducted by coaches from Manchester United. Forty- eight players will be divided into four teams of 12 each and will be tested on all parameters (including physical attributes, individual skills, match situations and their performances in actual matches) before 12 of the best players are chosen to travel to Manchester United for a week and to coach alongside the Manchester United Academy team.