The academy & boys' progress are very important, says Muthoot FA coach Anees Koraliyadan

Anees Koraliyadan also spoke about their plans for the future.

The beautiful state of Kerala has always been known for its football heritage and culture. God’s own country houses some of the finest talents of the nation and has provided the Indian national team with superstars time and again. Be it the legendary IM Vijayan or their current poster-boy Sahal Abdul Samad, Kerala has had them all.

While Kerala Blasters and Gokulam Kerala have always made it to the headlines for their magic on the pitch, this time we have new entrants in Muthoot Football Academy, who are representing India at the Next Generation Cup in England. We caught up with Muthoot Football Academy’s coach Anees Koraliyadan for an exclusive chat. The coach opened up about various topics and shared his thoughts ahead of the Next Generation Cup.

Muthoot Football Academy’s work model

Anees Koraliyadan began by sharing the academy’s work model. He said that the academy works on the holistic development of the players and helps them build a good career.

“Muthoot Football Academy gives the boys education, quality training and matches. Once they have attained their experience, they can move on to ISL, I-League. There they can have a good career in the future,” Anees Koraliyadan asserted.

Importance of Next Generation Cup

Muthoot Football Academy finished third in the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) and qualified for the Next Generation Cup. The head coach was asked about his thoughts ahead of the tournament. Anees Koraliyadan said, “For me, the academy’s result and stability are very important.

“The academy’s progress is very important and the progress of the boys is very important. They have to attend, they have to get their best opportunity to train, the best opportunity to play the highest standard of games to improve their game and career.

“It’s very important for the management also to have a good run of form in a prestigious tournament like Reliance Development League and to play in an international level of competition.”

Muthoot Football Academy’s setup

Speaking about the academy’s setup, Anees Koraliyadan said they have a fully-residential academy that caters to all the needs of the players and provides them with the best facilities. 

“Right now, we have a fully-residential academy which provides a clean environment. Everything is very clean and pleasant. The boys are residing in a huge infrastructure like ground, gym and air-conditioned accommodation, then they have a football field next to them. They can train morning, evening and night. They have coaches and staff to support them. So, it’s an amazing facility for them to train and train.’

When asked about the location of these facilities and the age-groups that they scout, the head coach said, “The facilities are located in Malappuram and we start scouting from the age of 13. If they are very good, we start from 13, then 15, promote to 17, then we promote to the development league side and then we promote to Kerala Premier League.

Philosophy

The head coach also shared the philosophy of the academy and said that the management wants to nurture the players in a way that they learn everything from basics to the tactical part.

“The philosophy of the academy is nurturing them in an environment where they can learn the football basics then they can learn the tactical discipline. So, first it is all about their basics like technical things, then we focus more on tactical. Once it comes to the competition, we focus more on tactical things.” 

Anees Koraliyadan also added, “So, players are learning how to play, then how to move the ball, how to detect the opponent, which is very important. The players need to understand, players need to be more educated on their mental aspect of decision-making, which is the thing we are lacking more in a higher level of competition against top opponents,” Anees Koraliyadan quipped.

Competitions

When asked about which competitions the academy takes part in, Anees Koraliyadan said, “We play in the academy youth league which is conducted by the Kerala Football Association. Then we compete in All India Football Federation youth leagues, school tournaments, Reliance school tournaments and youth development leagues. Then we compete in Kerala Premier League, which is also the same boys who are 18, 19, or 17.”

Academy Graduates

Anees Koraliyadan also mentioned the names of some of the best academy graduates of Muthoot Football Academy. “It is in the seventh year of the program. Right now, we have Salahudheen (Adnan) who moved, he had a good performance last year.

“Then we have Vishnu (PV) and Adil (Amal) who play for East Bengal. Then the best player from the football academy was Sohail. So, there are players who are coming up. Even Mohammad Azhar is from our academy,” Anees Koraliyadan said.

Outside Noise

Anees Koraliyadan was quizzed about what he told the boys about the outside noise like agents and clubs trying to approach the players. Anees Koraliyadan said, “Of course, it is very difficult to shut the offers coming for the boys, but the only thing I would recommend is the boys have to attain the experience of youth setup, where they have to play without the pressure to learn the game more.” 

Anees Koraliyadan also explained that, “Once they attain that experience, they can easily move and have a good career. So, where they are having a little bit of performance, other clubs or agents approach, then their ecosystem might go down. Then they again move into a new setup where they struggle a little bit.”

Thoughts on RFDL

The 42-year-old opened up about his thoughts on the Reliance Football Development League and said, “RFDL is a very structured league, which is a changer in Indian football. More highly competitive matches in the 19, 20 and 21 age categories boys. In younger times, more boys train and play.

“But, once they have a path to move into the senior team, there is a big gap. That gap, now it is filled by the introduction of the RFDL. So, more clubs are ready to keep their youth setup. They are giving training, hostel facilities and stipends, which is the game-changer in Indian football and there needs to be more matches,” Anees Koraliyadan added.

Plan Ahead

When asked about the academy’s plans, Anees said that the management is very capable of having an ISL or I-League team, but are solely focused on the youth teams as of now.

“It is very true that the management has all the capability to have and own a senior team like maybe in the ISL or I-League. But, right now, they want progress only through the academy boys who are taking the club into maybe second division or third division I-League because it is all about their pathway. If they are attaining the third division, of course, the management will support them to play in the third division. If they attain much more with their talent then the club is ready to support them,”  

Trials

The coach also shared some information about how talented players across the state come and catch the attention of the academy. He said that the academy conducts trials every week.

“We are the academy always open for trails. Any boy is ready to come, they are always welcome here. I think every week, every Friday we are having trials for the kids. So, always be open for talents who can come, who can stay with the team and who can attend the trials. If he is good enough, we will look for him. The management will support him,” Anees Koraliyadan concluded.

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