What is the appropriate age for children to start learning soccer ? Why?
At Simla Youngs Football Training Centre we have kids starting from age 5 with us. We feel that before the age of 8 a kid should need to start learn soccer because when he will be of 10 yrs of age he will be more familiar & comfortable with the ball. At the age of 10 he will understand the game more than a new beginner. His mental capability will also allow him to play wisely at the under 10 age competitions.

How does Soccer help in other spheres for children- good posture, discipline, academics?
If you are going for soccer training it will force you to schedule your academics. It means you will plan your day in advance in which all important aspects will cover. If you are determined to become a star player in future, the game will motivate you to keep yourself away from bad habits like smoking, Alcohol etc as it can effect your improvement.

If one is serious about the sport, what is the ideal way to progress?
The common world wide mantra to become a star in soccer is to try to join the training centre of a football club which is affiliated to FIFA & whose primary aim is to provide world class players in future.

What are the facilities available in Delhi for children to take this forward if they want to pursue this seriously?
At the moment there are not so many facilities available except the training centre of Simla Youngs Football Club at Vinay Marg. There are also two SAI centres in Delhi where the kids can learn soccer but the facilities there are not so good.

Can I train the kid for 1day/1week/1month, before signing him for the whole year ?
No, you may not. We are only interested in parents who can show a long term commitment to the child's development

As I shall be posted out, visiting Delhi in holidays, can I train for less than 12 months ?
Treat this as your contribution to poorer kids.

Can I get a car pool organised ?
Manoj Chaudhary +919811408292 or Ajay Chaudhary +919999982372 can show you a list of parents's contacts etc. Please do contact them yourselves.

When can fill the form ?
Either download the form from the web directly or please do come to the ground and fill the form.

Where are the toilets ?
There is one toilet in the ground, across the hockey field. Some of us cross the road and go to Nehru Park for a cleaner toilet.

Is there any medical help on the ground ?
We have a basic first aid kit with ice etc on the ground. Also, we should have a on field Physio to help the trainees.

How do they progress from school to state level to national?
Every kid who wants to become a soccer star need to represent his school in different age group competitions in the state level & in the national level. From there you can be picked for the School India Camp. Also every year Delhi Soccer Association conducts open trials in different age groups for the national championships, from there also you can got selected by the selectors for the India Camp. In the later stages like in Under 19, Under 21 stages, you can also be picked for any NFL team as the scouts of different clubs of national level comes there to see the youth.

Is there a government body which monitors Soccer and soccer training? Does the government/ schools/ institutions offer any scholarships/ programmes? Yes, Delhi Soccer Association, All India Football Federation are the two bodies who do these things but unfortunately not in a big way. No at the moment no scholarships are given

Any success stories of Indian children who have succeeded internationally in the soccer arena that you know of?
We can’t tell any story about anyone else. Simla Youngs is participating in the Welsh International Super Cup, Abeytswyth, Wales, UK from the past 2 years. In the first year we participated with only 2 teams:
1. Under 12 Born on or after 1st Sep 95
2. Under 16 Born on or after 1st Sep 91

As it was the first year we lost all the games in both the age groups except a few draws. In both the competition we were the bottom ranked team. In 2008 we again participated in 3 different age groups:
1. Under 10 Born on or after 1st Sep 98
2. Under 13 Born on or after 1st Sep 95
3. Under 17 Born on or after 1st Sep 91
After the loss in 2007 we worked hard on certain aspects & in 2008 we won several matches & in the end all the 3 teams were on the prize podium. I think that was a remarkable thing as an Indian club performing in abroad. Our two guys from the Under 17 team- Prithviraj Dev & Prem Kumar impressed the Everton scout & he was agreed to take them for the trials in Everton.

Now the youth teams are participating regularly in the tournaments in abroad such as Welsh Super Cup at Wakes, UK & Gothia Cup, Gothenberg, Sweden in different age groups every year.

What is the highest achievement one can hope for in this arena nationally or internationally?
The highest achievement will be to put the first Indian in a European Football Club like ManU, Everton, Chelsea, Real Madrid etc. This will give a real boost to this game in India which also help India qualify for the world cup soon.

At some point, is it advisable to go abroad?
The coaching standard here in India is not that good but still clubs like Simla Youngs trying their best to provide world class coaching in the city. Going abroad is not the solution, the AIFF, AFC & the state association has to think wisely on this for the development of the game.