Government schools' physical teachers in Kerala to get trained by Premier League coaches

The trainining initiative will benefit physical teachers in government schools from three different cities in the state.

Amidst all the disheartening news of the I-League clubs and AIFF being at loggerheads with each other, the fans of Indian football finally have something to cheer about. The British Council has signed an MoU with the Kerala state government, which would see physical teachers from Kerala get trained in football.

The state of Kerala has always been one of the biggest devotees of the beautiful game. The state has two well-known clubs representing it in I-League and Indian Super League (ISL), Gokulam Kerala and Kerala Blasters respectively. So, the news of them getting such an MoU signed would not come as a surprise to many.

The aim of the agreement is to equip 288 physical teachers in the cities of Malappuram, Thrissur and Kozhikode, with world-class skills in football coaching. Six certified coaches from the Premier League would be training the physical teachers. The physical teachers of the government schools would be trained.

The training would thus benefit more than three lakh students in Kerala's government schools. It would help the kids develop themselves into competent and knowledgeable players at an early age. 

The physical teachers would be encouraged to participate in equal numbers from both genders. Speaking with the media, Janaka Pushpanathan, Director, South India for the British Council, said that the aim is to popularize the game among women and also to encourage them to participate actively in the endeavour.

She said, "Through the programme, we also aim to encourage more participation from women, giving them an opportunity to build on their professional skills, team work, self-reliance, resilience and confidence, making them drivers of gender inclusivity."