New Delhi, Nov 22 (IANS) Ever since the Golden Baby Leagues were launched by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in 2018, the sport has been introduced to children (both boys and girls) at an early age across the country. While these children, aged 6-12, learn the basics of football through the Golden Baby Leagues, their parents also play a key role in their advancement in football.
The folks at the Double Pass Development Golden Baby League in Bengaluru have recognised the importance of the role that the parents play, and have taken measures to instruct them to play a constructive role in helping their children through the learning phase in football.
One such proud parent, watching his son from the sidelines is former India international and current Bengaluru FC assistant coach and head of youth development Naushad Moosa.
“Children, at this age, need to learn the basics of the game. But more importantly, they need to enjoy it,” Moosa said to the-aiff.com. “It is often common to see the competitiveness seeping down from the parents from the sidelines, and this disturbs the development of a kid.”
“For example, a coach may be trying to teach the kids to play a simple passing game, which of course will take time for them to develop. But if the pressure is there to win, they might often revert to long-ball tactics, which may work here, but will probably not help the kids later on, if they want to go further,” he added
Moosa, whose nine-year-old son also plays in the Double Pass GBL, believes that at this early stage, it is more important for the children to learn the technical part rather than work towards winning games.
“When they are between the age of 6-12, it is important that they learn the technical aspect of the game. That is why we have got together with the league operators and share certain instructions to the parents that would help in this cause. If they shout instructions from the side, the kids get confused, especially if their coach has told them something else,” he stated.
“We have also tried to educate the parents about the importance of teaching their children about the importance of fair play and the sportsmanship spirit. This will only go on to help the kids in the long run. It’s more important for them to play as many games as possible, now, rather than thinking about winning. That comes later,” he added.
–IANS
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