Association of Indian Football Coaches formed for development of coaches

The Association of Indian Football Coaches (AIFC) was launched in Mumbai on Wednesday with an objective to provide a platform for development of coaches and to look after their welfare.

In a positive step for football in the country, the Association of Indian Football Coaches (AIFC) was launched here on Wednesday with an objective to provide a platform for development of coaches and to look after their welfare.

Association of Indian Football Coaches (AIFC) was launched in Mumbai on Wednesday with an objective to provide a platform for development of coaches. (AIFC)

“We are starting this to help the coaches with the support of AIFF. It’s not a union and we will work with AIFF,” said Dinesh Nair, one of its directors and AFC A license coach, during the launch function held at the Mumbai Football Arena.

The AIFC will assist the AIFF in conducting AFC coaching license courses, refresher courses and work for coach education, which will help in players’ development in various leagues and grassroots tournaments.

“It’s important for everyone to work together as we want to develop many more coaches. Our aim was to develop 6,500 coaches from the 2014 level of 1,200. Now, in the next five years we want to make it 65,000 coaches as football is growing rapidly in India,” AIFF’s COO Kishor Taid said.

The other directors include Derrick Pereira, Thangboi Singto, Sanjoy Sen and IM Vijayan.

Singto, the assistant coach and technical director of Kerala Blasters, said while a lot of progress has been made in developing football coaches in the country “we need to do a lot more”.