How to Make a Career in Football in India

The following article is a guest post from Soccer Ji

For all those wondering why we even bothered to write an article on making a career in football in a country like India where the word sports is synonymous to cricket, then take a look around you. Times have changed, and so has the perception about football and other sports.

A decade ago, the only 2 sports that got recognition were cricket and hockey. Had you thought of making a career in football back then, you would have been written off. Today, however, it’s a different story altogether. With the Indian Super League (ISL) now being the most prominent football league in India, football has come a long way from not even being spoken of to be the talk of the nation in the football season. It is no longer seen as the sport with no future. With the current season of ISL underway and the fan following increasing with every passing week, there
couldn’t be a better time to enter the sport to make a career.

If you are one of those who daydream about pursuing a career in sports, I am sure you’re aware of millions of people who dream the same. But with changing times, the perception about making a career in sports (read sports and not just cricket) has changed. The scepticism associated with the old perceptions are taking a back seat and parents are slowly but gradually
opening up to their children making a career in football along with other sports.

According to a survey conducted by Statista, amongst people aged above 18 years, the statistics revealed that only 4.69% of people responded that they play football regularly. Though this number may seem quite small at present compared to cricket’s 12.82%, this percentage has grown over the past 5-6 years. Partially because of the induction of cash-rich league like ISL.

If you’re reading this blog for your kids then it’s time for you to think whether you want your kid to learn professionally or not.

There are three broad categories of age groups:

• 5-10 years
• 11-18 years
• Above 20 years

Age Group: 5-10 years

Parents in India generally feel that their kid who is 4-8 years old is too young to start playing sports or to be more specific, start training so early in life. This is, in fact, the right age to indulge a kid in any sport and not just football. This is because kids in the age group of 5-10 years learn at the maximum pace. The technicalities of football are best imbibed in a kid at
this age. Once the kid has crossed this age bracket, the learning pace is not the same and correcting a wrong playing technique becomes even more challenging. We as Indians lack the technique required in football and the right time to learn all the techniques is at the grassroot level.

Keeping in mind the different financial conditions of a household, you may or may not be able to send your kid to a football training school, and to your delight, it is not necessary. Instead, you can do it at home with lightweight playing balls that are available in the market.

Does your next question sound something like this: “But how do I train my kid when I have no experience in playing or coaching the sport?”
Thank God for the internet! What would have we done without it? With an internet connection, a smartphone or a PC at home, and of course, YouTube you can learn how to develop their skills at home, without spending all the coaching money.
Advice: The advice for parents is to start as early as possible because if you have any interest to make your kid a professional in the sport, it is important to get it done in this age bracket.

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Age Group: 11-18 years

Kids in India usually start playing when they are 10-12 years old.
So if you are reading this, then you could be either of the two:
– Student who aspires to be a footballer and is contemplating about it
– a Parent who has identified the footballing talent in his or her kid but you are unsure about how to proceed
If you are a student reading this article, then you are probably serious about making a career in football but are your parents willing to let you make that choice? You need to consult your parents or take the help of a professional coach to know your chances in the sport.
If you belong to the latter category, then you need to know that there are some naturally good players while some have the passion to make it big. Since it is not easy for a kid to analyse himself, parents can approach their coaches and consult them for any doubts that they may have about the future in the sport. They could also inquire about the child’s
performance.

If its class 10-12, the kid should be allowed to play, but the priority should be given to studies. However, if he fails to excel in the sports, he would still have other career options in football. He can indulge in other areas to remain associated with the sport. He may opt to become a professional coach, a sports agent, or pursue other options like sports management, fitness trainer, sports psychology, etc
A sports agent is a legal representative working behind the scenes for professional sports figures like coaches & athletes. They reach out to clubs for offers & negotiate them on behalf of the players while handling endorsement deals at the same time.

Age Group: Above 20 years

You already know that thousands of players around you have been playing football for a number of years. To reach to the same level as the person who has been playing for a number of years, you will have to work much harder. To ensure that you have a good chance of getting picked by a scout to play for a good club, you need to do the following things.Be motivated enough and prepare yourself both physically and mentally.

If you really want this to happen, then you have to keep yourself motivated and focused on one thing, i.e. football.

Fitness – The most important part of becoming a footballer. It is essential for you to be in good shape. You need to start working on building your stamina and become physically strong and agile.

Technical ability – It is not just about how much you can run but also about technical and tactical abilities. You need to possess various skills, for instance, you need to be good at dribbling, passing, corner kicks, and free kicks. Goalkeepers need to work on their agility, response time, and ball distribution as well.

Start playing for a local club – You will be playing for a primary level club where you can quickly assess yourself and improvise on your footballing skills and enhance them.

Find opportunities – Just like a graduate has to send his CV across some companies before he finally gets an interview call, you have to do the same. Find different ways to showcase your talent because you need all the assistance that you can get.

Start showing your worth – At this stage, you have to be a consistent performer to be able to make a career in football because many others have been playing for years

Be patient – It isn’t going to be easy because you will need time and patience to prove yourself. You may have to wait for the right opportunities and sometimes hard work swings the luck in your direction.

To enhance your career and to know about all the opportunities available, you need a place where your issues and queries are readily addressed. The internet is full of articles, but what you need is one place to get all your answers.

Well, we care for you and we bring to you the Soccer Ji App!! The one-stop solution to all your problems and for all the keen football fanatics.
SoccerJi Football application helps you connect all the dots and get all the information at one place. It addresses all the voids that prevailed in the football world by organizing all the blocks of the puzzle together. The various parts of the puzzle are the players, ground, tournaments, and
the support staff. This app gives you information about all the players and their profile with all their attributes, the number of grounds that are available and their location on Google Maps, the tournaments being organized in the area and its specifics, & the availability of other support staff like coaches, physiotherapists, dieticians, and referees.
The app lures you into the functionalities offering a practical solution, more convenience, more connectivity and innumerable other features that certainly gives it an edge over the other apps.

It also offers features like advertising and contacting vendors for your equipment and merchandise needs. With the SoccerJi app, you can give your career a push start, get all the information faster and easier even if you have forgotten when your training session or the tournament match is
scheduled. Just register in the app or login using your Google email id and get started.

In a country of 1.3 billion people, it indeed isn’t easy to achieve anything, but keep hustling and it will pay off someday. Every struggle you go through prepares your mind to receive what you asked for. This isn’t a race against anyone. It’s a constant battle against the voice in your head that will want you to quit. But you dare not quit. Now is the time. This moment. The Universe knows what’s best for you. Keep hustling because as they say ‘Impossible is Nothing.’ Believe in it and for everything else, in the Soccer Ji App!