Chhetri to conduct a camp

Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri will give budding talent an opportunity to train under his watchful eyes during an eight-day camp, to be held here from June 16.

According to the ace striker, his initiative will be different form other camps.

“It’s not just a camp pulled out from the dictionary,” Chhetri told www.the-aiff.com. “The idea is to give the kids a proper feeling of how a training process should be. A budding footballer needs to balance practice, diet and rest at the same time. But someone needs to tell them about it. “I will personally be talking and interacting with the kids and tell them about the mistakes which I made at their age. I will also have a separate session with the parents.

“We will take care of the kitting. Nike will be supplying the balls and the kids will be given clean drinking water and proper nutrition in between and after the sessions. The first two days will be the trials, practice sessions have been slated for next four days. The practice matches would take place during the last two days,” he added.

Asked how did the idea of holding a camp cropped up, he said: “Some time back, some of my friends came up to me with the idea of opening a football academy in New Delhi. I was a bit sceptical at the outset. Simply because, sustaining an academy is a huge thing. “Instead, I told them to have an 8-day coaching camp and revisit the idea of the academy later on.”