As the Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) Selection Camp moved into its mid-way stage on Day 4, coaches were already impressed with the progress made by the participants on the field. The high-intensity training sessions continued with the 2002 batch training from 6 AM to 8 AM at the Father Agnel Ground (Artificial Pitch) in Vashi. The 2003 and 2004 batches trained from 7 AM to 9 AM and from 9 AM to 11 AM respectively at the DY Patil Stadium in Nerul. Today was also the first time participants were tested in the 11 v 11 format, playing on full-size pitches both in the morning and evening training sessions. A video session was held in the afternoon where goals and highlights were replayed from top competitions in Europe, enabling the children to watch and learn from the best; the art of positioning, passing and moving forward as a unit. The budding footballers have been pushing themselves during training every day and their hard work is reflected during games. Coaches have noticed significant difference in their levels of movement and stamina. Dinesh Nair, Technical Director of Grassroots at Mumbai City FC said, “On the first day, we asked the kids to run as part of the warm-up exercises. They jogged and came back. On the fourth day, you could see the difference. They run the whole distance during warm-ups and that transits onto the pitch as well. They have begun playing as a unit and moving as one. They are making themselves available to each other on all areas of the pitch.” With the participants improving with every passing session, we expect some brilliant football being played by the end of the camp. The evening training sessions were held at the DY Patil Stadium for the 2003 batch from 5 PM to 7 PM. The 2002 and 2004 batches trained at the Father Agnel Ground in Vashi from 6 PM to 8 PM (Artificial Pitch) and 6 PM to 7 PM (Natural Pitch) respectively. Check out our snapshots of Day 4 of the RFYC Selection Camp here!
