JOVITO LOPES
jovito@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: An ambitious youth development project entitled “Project Diamond” for the advancement of outstanding football players has been launched by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) under the FIFA’s Talent Development Scheme (TDS), and with the introduction of “Blue Cubs” the grassroots programmes will be restructured which will lay the groundwork for the future of Indian football. The objective is to take Indian football to a higher world competitive level.
Under the FIFA’s TDS, Arsene Wenger, FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, is likely to visit India coming May to oversee the launching of the programme. All football’s premier academies, as well as those of ISL and I-League clubs, are expected to participate. The goal of Project Diamond is to create an “Iconic Star” who possesses the qualities and abilities necessary to compete at the top level in the beautiful game.
Blue Cubs is a comprehensive grassroots project that will provide the groundwork for Blue Tigers. Additionally, it has a top-notch grassroots programme that is deeply multifaceted and collaborates on several levels with organisations like clubs and governmental NGOS.
Wenger will assist AIFF’s scouting division in finding new talent. It is part of formulating a new strategy for talent identification. It is part of former Arsenal head coach Wenger’s philosophy: “The responsibility of society overall is to give every talented child a chance to be educated. Of course, we want to create the next Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi – but what is most important is to give every talented child a chance in the world.”
A core aim of FIFA is to help develop footballing talent all over the world. Over the next four years, FIFA’s TDS will support all participating member associations through a funding allocation of $200 million – helping them to give every talented child a chance.
FIFA’s TDS is a significant step towards giving every talented child a chance, no matter where or when they are born.
One of the key tenets of FIFA’s Vision 2020-2023 is to increase global competitiveness and to work towards the goal of having 50 national teams and 50 clubs competing at the highest level for global silverware.
FIFA is all out to invest in developing talent and it believes that competitions drive development, but development in turn demands commitment and high-quality work within a solid framework. That is why FIFA is increasing its investment through a holistic approach to technical and education projects and programmes.
The FIFA Training Centre is a modern and dynamic platform to distribute knowledge, and now the FIFA TDS.
The new programme will offer assistance to member associations to help them reach their full potential. It will provide comprehensive support as well as structures for the pathways that take talented children from the point at which they enter the game all the way through to transition opportunities into senior football.
FIFA has a clear vision for how that collaborative work will continue with its member associations. Associations will have to forge relationships with key stakeholders to share responsibility for constructing and harnessing their talent development ecosystem.
FIFA stressed that youth national-team programmes are of critical importance as a pathway to senior team success and long-term sustainability, leading to the emergence, identification and development of talented youngsters across the global pyramid.
Wenger has been advocating for annual and expanded youth World Cups, creating a consistent and permanent competitive environment for players and investing in the future to make sure not only that every talented child has a chance, but also to work progressively towards ensuring that those children can seize the opportunities.
Wenger was clear that by launching the programme, one can improve the equality of opportunity for players across all six confederations and all 211 member associations and, ultimately, improve global competitiveness for the future health of football.
The TDS aims to create a sustainable legacy for long-term talent development by maximising each participating member association’s opportunities.
“We analysed the whole world and we realised that in half of the world, talented children, boys or girls, have no possibility of developing their talent. In the same way, the objective is also to maximise the potential of every member association and I think the two go well together. We will go into the countries, we want to send our coaches, we want to create centres of excellence in every country and, therefore, develop the talent over a four-year programme,” said Wenger.
“We have to identify the talent in the country, that’s the first step. The second important step is to maximise its potential, is to put the best with the best. That’s why I call them ‘excellence centres’, because you want to group together the best players and give them an education. And, for the boys and the girls, of course, we delegate coaches, appointed by FIFA, who we educate and who we send to the different countries that need them.”
Another key element of the TDS is the FIFA Talent Coach Programme. The goal is to make sure that, by 2026, every member association has at least one functioning high-performance academy for talented youth players. “That means with obligatory criteria such as quantity of training sessions, quality of school education, quality of coaching level and quality of the competitions we want to launch the programme inside the countries. That’s why we give a financial allocation as well. And it is linked with the fact that Gianni Infantino supported me on that,” concluded Wenger.
FIFA will support each participating member association to reach its full potential and give every talent a chance. Leading specialists will help each member association to create a state-of-the-art and tailormade talent development programme.
FIFA has recently launched the FIFA Training Centre to provide knowledge and insights into the six key areas identified for discovering potential with a view to establishing a strategic talent development plan.
With the support of dedicated FIFA high-performance specialists, the AIFF is expected to plan and prepare the project for the implementation of the TDS. This will include the identification of key objectives, alignment with associated stakeholders, and the development of a long-term strategic plan with a team of FIFA high performance specialists. The mission is for the AIFF to develop, iterate and execute a long-term plan for talent development.
The full implementation phase of the TDS will begin in 2023 and will be supported by training and education through the FIFA Training Centre, and knowledge sharing with accompanying financial and non-financial resources that will be provided to AIFF.
The AIFF will be the driver of its own project, with their dedicated high performance specialist taking on the role of a “thought partner” to help in the design and implementation of the assigned talent development initiatives linked to the overall objectives.
The launch of TDS can succintly be surmised in the words of FIFA President, Gianni Infantino: ‘‘Everything is connected in our sport. We are all connected. Giving every talent a chance requires everyone to play their part. At FIFA, one of our overarching aims is to give every talent a chance. And, the launching of the FIFA Talent Development Scheme is one of the keys to achieving that objective.”
