Shriyaan Shetty, the boy with big dreams and a bigger work ethic in Bengaluru football

Bengaluru: What would one expect from a young kid with junior Karnataka call-ups to talk about? Scoring goals, winning and having fun, sure, but wanting to dominate every game and collect trophies? Not so common. 

“I like to play. I like to win matches and trophies.” That’s how Shriyaan Shetty describes when you ask him what he enjoys most about football. And for a 14-year-old, he knows what he is talking about. 

Shriyaan has been making all the right noises in the Bengaluru football scene in his age group while ticking off his checklist to win titles.

Talking about trophies, he has won the Sub-junior Boys’ National Football Championship, the KSFA Youth Premier League, an All-India under-14 tournament in Goa and the Double Pass Development League.

While winning trophies in a team sport is one thing, Shriyaan has played a pivotal role in his team’s triumphs, dribbling his way into the scoring charts with 12 goals and assisting nine times in the YPL and DPDL. He also made waves in The Amateur League, scoring 11 goals and recording seven assists. 

Shriyaan has built a reputation for himself through his performances. But how exactly did this story start taking shape?

Having started playing football with his brother, he joined the Vas Football Academy. His interest in “some serious football” brought him to the Golden Baby League, conducted by Kickstart FC, from where the Bengaluru boy was scouted. 

“When we started scouting, Shriyaan’s name was there in the list after the tournament. We then conducted trials and he was picked. And four years on, he is among the finest wingers here,” Kickstart CEO Laxman Bhattarai tells DH. 

Adding to the praises, “Shriyaan is a highly talented player with a natural flair for the game. His versatility and comfort on the ball allow him to play multiple positions with confidence,” reveals his academy coach, Vimal Jayakumar. 

When asked about Shriyaan’s dream: “I want to play for India. And I also want to play for India at the under-17 level too. Would like to get called up by foreign teams and train with them.”

Dreaming of the national team is excellent. However, Shriyaan has also set an U-17 India goal, which comes with a timeline. And with a timeline comes pressure.

“I wake up at 5:30 am to attend practice at 6.00 am. That is one session that runs until 7:30 am. Then I go freshen up and get ready for school. Once I am back from school around 3:30 pm, I rest a little before a tuition teacher comes at 4:30 pm. After an hour of studies, I have another training session at 6.00 pm, which lasts 2.5 hours. After dinner, I talk to my parents.”

While having the privilege of living with his parents in Bengaluru, Shriyaan stays at Kickstart’s residential academy for the extra training it offers and that’s how serious he is about his game.

As his massive dreams slowly take shape, he wants to ensure that his actions do most of the talking. 

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