The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon is back in its second year and the actions sure to be big. It's just a few days to go till D-day. Seeing the response to the race, in year one, the Marathon Route has been extended from Worli to Bandra, weaving more magic across the heart of the city; the start and finish will remain opposite the CST (VT) station. 

The three main events are:
7 km - Dream run
21 km - Half Marathon
42 km - Marathon
Likely to be introduced is the Senior Citizen run.

There is prize money for the serious athletes, but more importantly, a sense of accomplishment and year long bragging rights for the others. Its not often an event of such magnitude comes by. There will be celebrities along the route to give you the right attitude, motivation and encouragement. As experienced last year, a marathon is truly a celebration of life. It gives you a sense of personal satisfaction. Be a part of a movement that connects you with others like yourself who feel passionate about their city.

Promoting Sports on the Junior Level

Mumbai's Jai Hind Junior College made history when defeating champs Maharashtra Junior College, Kolhapur 6-5 in sudden death in the under-19 final of the Maharashtra State Junior College Football Tournament organized by the District Sports Office in Nagpur. This achievement has spurred the boys to great heights who are doing wonderfully well under the able guidance of Coach Joe Galiaud and Manager Shashank Shah. Can they go one-step ahead and claim the senior title now? 

Q1. How did Jai Hind College qualify and how did the teams perform? 
Ans. Jai Hind College beat Nasik District, Kolhapur district and had also beaten Nagpur district in the finals. Both Kolhapur and Nagpur districts were well prepared for the tournament.

Q2. Could you enlighten us about (a) the organization (b) the facilities provided and (c) the playing conditions?
Ans. There is tremendous scope of improvement in all these aspects. More rooms should be allocated to the participating teams. There should at least be grass pitches for such a tournament.

Q3. Jai Hind having won the finals at Nagpur - how many players from your team represented the Maharashtra camp?
Ans. Very sadly there were no players from Jai Hind College representing the Maharashtra Camp, although there are very promising players.

Q4. As Manager - what are your duties and functions?
Ans. Winning or losing is the outcome of a match played. As a coach, it is utmost important for my team to show exemplary behaviour both on and off the field. The players have to be skilful, organized and coordinate as a team. I am proud to observe all of these qualities in each and every player of the team.

Q5. Joe - as a Coach - what are your coaching activities? Do you think that college students at this level - if nurtured and moulded could turn out to be good sports person.
Ans. Physical fitness is the key to training. We start at 6.30 am with a lot of warm-up exercises and gradually get into match practice - with shooting skills / techniques, tactic and strategies.

Q6. How do you look at Indian football?
Ans. Enthusiasm in football is improving by the day in India. There is an increased level of participation at school, college and division levels as seen in Mumbai. For students, it remains a seasonal game. There is not much continuity the whole year round, other than backyard play.

Q7. With "Professionalism" gradually creeping in, do you think Indian football will improve?
Ans. We do need professional approach at all levels in our National team.

Q8. What are your personal views towards improving Indian football?
Ans. As one sees Indian football now and by analyzing the current situation, one gets a grim picture. I have personally done a lot of research for development of football at youth level. As a few start up points we need to:

(I) Encourage children to kick a ball of correct size for their age.
(II) Stamina building and skills training need to gradually start at 6 to 8 years.

At this junction - the importance of diet must be emphasized even to the parents. Just like education, an age-wise curriculum should be formulated and followed for the development of football amongst children. Most important there must be continuity at all times.

Q9. Apart from football what are your other activities?
Ans. I) I am successful in my business of chemicals and solvents
II) Apart from this, I play football four times a week.
III) Under my leadership our team has won the Bombay Gymkhana 9-a-side "Main Cup" Soccer Tournament in 2002 and 2003. In the current year 2004, we are Runners-up for the Main Cup. 

I am a member on the Council of Management of the prestigious Campion School. And now my involvement with Super Soccer School shall keep me quite busy.

Q10. Shashank, please tell us more about Super Soccer School?
Ans: It gives me great pleasure in introducing Super Soccer School to you. The principal objective of Super Soccer School is to develop Football at the grass root level in India. It is our ambition to develop and nurture Indian Footballers of International calibre. I am passionately involved with football and have thus established Super Soccer School.

To share the same passion and to formulate and implement systems of international standards for the promotion of Indian football at youth level, Super Soccer School is blessed by the unstinting support of eminent personalities, excelling in the field of Football, who are Patrons and constitute the Advisory Board of Super Soccer School. They share with great fervour, the vision of the school. A few of the patrons associated with Super Soccer School are:-

These patrons have very high standards of international exposure and experience in the field of football.

Q11. How is Super Soccer School intending to achieve its objective ?
Ans: For the holistic development of a child, sports plays a very important role, and I am sure that everyone endorses this view. Therefore one must encourage, wholeheartedly, students' participation in various sports.

Super Soccer School under me is associated with foreign coaches, who are UEFA / FA certified 'A' licensed, having vast coaching experience of professional football and have been associated with the best Football Clubs in the world like Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspurs, West Ham United, etc. These are coaches who have groomed world class footballers like David Beckham, Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Owen, etc. from their youth. In addition to training players of world renowned clubs the Coaches associated with Super Soccer School have also trained various youth teams like England U-18 National team, Korean International U-19 Youth Team, etc. and have vast experience in training around the world.

Super Soccer School will give students an exposure to international training and coaching to improve on personal skills and tactics as well as fitness levels, and integrate their individual talent to best suit the needs of the team and to groom them into players of International repute. We are calling these reputed coaches to India as well as taking students abroad for International training and exposure. Hereunder are details of the various programs that we have to offer to children, under our Football training scheme.

(I) Regular, weekend & vacation training in Mumbai:- 
Batches : Morning ( 7.00 a.m. - 9.30 a.m.) and Evening ( 3.00 p.m. - 5.30 p.m.)

(II) Training under international coaches in India:- 
Batches : Ten Days Programs to be held during Vacations only.

(iii) International training abroad :- 
Batches: 2 week / 3 week Camps in England, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, etc. during Summer breaks.

NB: To achieve these ambitious goals we require Sponsors and their whole hearted support and cooperation. Prospective Sponsors, please contact Super Soccer School.

For further details please contact:

SUPER SOCCER SCHOOL
Crescent Mansion, 1st floor, 3, Pandita Ramabai Road, 
Gamdevi, Mumbai - 400007.
Tel: 23805303, Fax: 23875303, Mobile: 20510791
E-mail: sss2212@yahoo.com

My Point Of View

Cristiano Junior's death stuns Goan football

Dempo Sports Club's maiden win in the prestigious Federation Cup should have been reason enough for frenzied celebrations. But on a quiet Sunday when the entire Goan football fraternity remained glued to their television sets, their minds wandered elsewhere. A serious injury to Cristiano Junior - fouled by Mohun Bagan goalkeeper Subrata Paul - was, understandably, the reason for their uneasiness.

On the field at Sree Kanteerva stadium in Bangalore, the scene was no different. Dempo had just won their biggest prize in Indian football, but not a soul was celebrating. Instead what one saw was the entire Dempo brigade, down on their knees, praying for Cristiano Junior, the architect of Dempo's 2-0 win over Mohun Bagan. Everyone's worst fears turned true when news got confirmed that Cristiano Junior, 25, was declared dead. He had breathed his last before he reached the Hospat Hospital, 20 minutes away from the venue. News of Junior's death travelled like the proverbial wild fire. The celebrations, quite early, were cut short, as a sober mood gripped the State. Dempo's are still coming to terms with the fact that their best player is no more. 

The goalkeeper Subrata Paul should be brought to book by the code of disciplinary action because if he is allowed to go scot-free then this incident could be repeated by other players. I was petrified in disbelief to see Paul continue in the match when in actual fact, he should have been sent off the field with a red card for the blatant foul which he committed. FIFA referee Maheshwaran Balu of Karnataka failed to act in the appropriate manner. The match recommenced in the normal procedure as though nothing happened. Such a glaring incident involving a violent conduct cannot go unpunished. AIFF must take corrective action.

Starting January 2005 - we have now changed the format of Sports Round Up. It has been decided to give our readers a better historical background of a sport. Instead of the sports news snippets on 5-6 disciplines - we will now publish a rare sport - along with the usual views/interviews of sports personalities from time to time. We will wind up the column with the latest happenings. 

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