Last year when seasoned football coach K Ravindran handpicked a group of boys and girls, he had humble aspirations.
The idea was to impart the basics of the game to a bunch of U13s from economically backward families in Ernakulam and nearby regions.
Less than ten months later, three of the boys from TabbieMe Football Clinic have attended national camps and one of them is set to fly for the Gothia Cup in Sweden. The boys were selected for a national camp from a state-level tournament held at Mavelikkara.
Now, 12-year-old Ayman Bilal from Palluruthy, has made the final squad. The 7th standard student of CCPLM School, Thevara will participate in the upcoming edition of the annual youth tournament to be held this July.
The Gothia Cup is a popular youth tournament that has been attended by some of the big names in the game, namely Andra Pirlo, Xabi Alonso, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Emmanuel Adebayor and so on.
"It's a proud feeling for all of us at TabbieMe football clinic. The two other boys, Jeevan Joseph and Alvin Alexander made it to the first reserves so it is also a proud feeling," said coach Ravindran.
He says the immediate success has prompted them to expand. "The kids are given free training and they are very passionate to learn, which is quite encouraging for us from a coach's perspective. So now we are planning to develop the academy. We are also planning to start a U13 team exclusively for girls."
