The emergence and rise of Baby Leagues

“Go out and play!”, we were told by our parents almost daily when we were growing up. Oh, how times have changed. From kicking a ball with friends on the streets, parking lots, and wherever possible, we just had a blast wiling away time doing something we loved. There was no one to guide us on how to get better and develop our footballing skills, most importantly, we never had tournaments or leagues to showcase our talents.

With the beautiful game gaining popularity and becoming a favourite among many a youth today, we have seen the emergence and rise of developmental leagues, also popularly known as the baby leagues to strengthen the game the grassroots level. But before we heap praise to what the governing body of Indian football has done to popularise the sport, and strengthen and develop the footballing ability of kids at a very young age, we must acknowledge the impact of private investors who have played a major role in by building state-of-the-art facilities for children to develop, grow and hone their footballing skills. Being from Bangalore, we can safely say that there are a plethora of artificial turf grounds across the city which not only benefit the kids, but most importantly football school and academies to teach children to play the right way, and strengthen and develop their skills in a safe and secure environment. But in all reality, not many parts of India are blessed with the facilities and infrastructure as Bangalore, or most Tier 1 or Tier 2 cities have. But that has not stopped kids from certain parts of India playing in fields and streets, not giving up on their dreams, it has only shown us what an impact the beautiful game has had upon us. With heart, passion and determination, no obstacle can stop you from making it big.

                               

Now getting back to the baby leagues, and the impact it’s had on the youth today. We can safely say it has been nothing short of amazing. Growing up, we were starved of opportunities to show off our skills, I must admit, it does make me jealous that kids today are extremely lucky to have opportunities like this, but then I also feel happy and proud knowing the future of football is in safe hands. As an owner of a football academy, it is our duty to grab hold of these opportunities and develop our kids to get one step closer to achieving their dreams of becoming a professional footballer. From as young as 4 years, you can clearly see how the beautiful game has created such an immense impact. From baby leagues conducted in metro cities like Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai to states like Kashmir and Tamil Nadu, this goes to show how far the baby league has come.

In conclusion, the sport will only continue to grow with academies and private bodies looking to conduct baby leagues on a regular basis, not only giving kids the opportunity to play the game in a competitive environment, but also teach them quality life-skills such as discipline, teamwork, coping with a loss and feeling the highs of a win at a very young age, which will only help them in their development and growth of becoming a professional footballer.