The PFF should invest in a U-19 league

The PFF should invest in a U-19 league

The Pakistan Football Federation should invest in a U-19 league, in order to boost a steady stream of talent and ensure that youngsters get ample playing time.

All around the globe, from football clubs to National team set-ups, everyone realizes the importance of nurturing the youth and giving them the stage to showcase their talents.

While European powerhouses boast large academies and first-class training facilities, countries such as India, who are not considered to be amongst the elite of the game, are still investing heavily on tomorrow’s stars.

The AIFF has not only started a U-19 league in recent years, but perhaps their biggest achievement in terms of youth development, has been the establishment of the Indian Arrows, now also known as Pailan Arrows for sponsorship reasons.

Started last year, the Arrows were basically the Indian U-20 team, who had been given direct entry into the I-League following the disbandment of Mahindra United. The aim was simple, give the youngsters playing time and develope their skills under the best
conditions possible.

The fruit of this ambitious project is yet to fully ripe, but players like Jeje Lalpekhlua and Shilton D’Silva have made their way into the senior National team and are touted with bright futures in football.

While their Indian counterparts are busy investing in youth, the PFF are hardly doing anything note worthy to ensure that youngsters immerse themselves in the game. This year’s U-16 championship was cancelled and it prevented many players from making an
impression on the National team selectors.

However organizing yearly tournaments hardly has an impact on the player’s ability, what the PFF should really do is start a proper league, which will cater only to the younger generation of footballers.

Although the obstacles in this path will be sturdy, the Federation will have to stand firm and overcome them. Finances are said to be the main issue, but with the help of sponsorships even that problem can be solved.

Now all that remains is a little bit of vision and effort from the PFF’s side, in order to secure the future of Pakistani football.

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Posted by Shahrukh Sohail on Nov 22 2011. Filed under Pakistan, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry