Muristek
Daman Singh
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And RoundGlass Punjab FC, the current representatives of Punjab on the Indian footballing spectrum, took that step almost two years back. The destination was pretty clear: make Punjab a football powerhouse again, a feeder of quality players, and of course, raise the club to newer heights.
The club's u-18 team that won the JSW Youth Cup.Back to the future
With the game being more fast-paced, tactical and technical than ever, giving exposure to the players is the need of the hour. It is vital for players from all age groups to participate in as many tournaments as possible. Keeping this in mind, the club is looking forward to the resumption of the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) youth leagues. As an academy, Punjab FC will be participating in tournaments across the country. Match experience is crucial when it comes to evaluating and developing young players. "The first objective will be to make sure we have regular matches to play — friendlies and tournaments in India. We hope to provide the players and coaches with international exposure as well, which will make them aware of the differences with other countries, learn about their cultures and grow," coach Ed Engelkes says.
There's no doubt about the depth of talent in the state. You could liken it to a gold mine, the treasures of which have been unearthed over the decades. The pedigree is impressive, including the Phagwara-based JCT FC to imposing national-level teams such as Punjab Police (PP), Border Security Force (BSF) Jalandhar, Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), to the top-class production line of Hoshiarpur's Mahilpur Football Academy. Punjab's players have been making it big for a long time, and 30-40% of the I-league constituted players from the northern region.
Our target is to have 60% of the first team players from the academy. To compete in the I-League, the right mix of youth and experience is required. However, we have to enable that transition for our academy players — Nikolaos Topoliatis , Punjab FC Director
That is what lured Nikolaos Topoliatis here two years ago. The man from Greece, who worked with Greek giants Olympiacos FC for more than a decade as technical director, is Punjab FC's pick to pick up the talent and hone it, so as to replenish the national treasures.
A number of players he'd worked with at Olympiacos are in the club's first team, and some are also playing abroad — Konstantinos Tsimikas plays for Liverpool FC, and the likes of Dimitrios Nikolaou, Panagiotis Retsos and Charalampos Lykogiannis ply their trade in Italy's Serie A.
"The main aim is to create a solid foundation for players from the state across all age groups in Punjab, which will ultimately have an impact on Indian football as a whole," Topoliatis, the football director of Punjab FC, says.
And the work is on. The club has been building upon the progress made by its predecessor Minerva Punjab, which established the Mohali academy and brought numerous laurels to the state, including the I-League title in 2017-18.
The current entity, however, has turned the focus to the grassroots, setting up three development and six grassroots centres in different parts of Punjab as of now.
"The plan is to increase the number to 25 in the next three years. We arrange trials and other developmental activities at the centres and provide children with kits and equipment. Visits are made on a daily basis to keep track of the progress. The centre in Aloona Tola also has a kitchen which provides meals tailored as per the sports nutrition needs of players," he says.
The club's efforts have been showing results, trickling down from the first team to the under-18 side that earlier this month won the inaugural JSW Youth Cup in Karnataka, beating Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) 2-1 in the final. The boys were unbeaten through the league-cum-knockout tournament, which included youth teams of top clubs such as Dempo SC, SESA FA Goa and Bengaluru FC.
Mixing and matching
For a club or a national team to become a force to reckon with, it must have a strong grassroots programme. However, at the club level, finding the right mix of local talent and outside players is key to elevating the standards of the game in a state. This in turn could be the causal link between the success of a club and the national side — just as JCT FC, by boosting and nurturing home-grown talent since its inception in 1971, was able to attract stars like Inder Singh, Sukhwinder Singh, Sunil Chhetri, IM Vijayan and Bhaichung Bhutia until its abrupt disbandment in 2011. In fact, many of the Mahilpur academy and Leaders Club players also got a professional platform over JCT's four-decade existence.
In Punjab FC's case, the club has been able to impact more than 800 players across the state. Moreover, trials were also held at the centres and around 75 players have been identified to take part in the final round of selections for the academy in May. The club also participated in the Punjab Super League earlier this season and "organised open trials for local talent to give them the opportunity to represent their reserve (U-23) team in the league".
"Our target is to have 60% of the first team players from the academy. To compete in the I-League, the right mix of youth and experience is required. However, we have to enable that transition for our academy players. They are aware that they will get the opportunity to be in the first team in the future. They already have examples to look up to in the current I-League squad — Aphaoba, Maheson, Freddy, Jaskaran, Penand, Bikash, Denzil and Saurabh," Topoliatis averred.
Head coach Ed Engelkes, who earlier was the technical director of youth programmes, chimes in, "First and foremost, our aim is always to be competitive. Giving the chance to young players to compete at the senior level is at the core of what we do at RoundGlass Punjab FC. We have already identified and given professional contracts to a few players, and more are expected to sign up in the near future."
For Punjab FC, the long journey has just begun. The roadmap has been spread out and efforts have been pouring in to trace the riches of the past even as the pandemic-stricken times continue. In the end, as Topoliatis puts it: "Results, for us, are the outcomes of these activities."