The two time ISL champion, ATK (initially known as Atlético de Kolkata) has launched the ATK academy in collaboration with Aditya Sports School in Barasat.
ATK want to establish a solid football structure at the grassroots level, hence they have come up to collaborate with the sports schools which teaches kids the basic of the variegated forms of the sports.
Being one of the founding members of the ISL, ATK won the first-ever Indian Super League defeating Kerala Blasters in the final.
ATK has taken the step in order to instill winning mentality in to the minds of young players’ minds and body language. Hence, they have incorporated some proven training structure involving residential education plus sports.
Sanjoy Sen, ATK’s assistant coach, who is also in charge of the club’s youth setup, spoke about the academy at the venue:
“We are very proud to partner with Aditya School of Sports for this academy. Children of U13, U15, and U18 age category will train and play here. With a nice ambience and atmosphere, I think it’s ideal for all the children. We have already selected the boys who will play in the different age categories, and we will start playing in a few days. It’s an auspicious day, which is why we decided to inaugurate the academy today. The facilities are really good, so it’s a good thing that such a thing is being done for the young kids.”
The head of youth operations added more, “We had the lower age categories, but now we will also have a reserve team. It’s upto the management, but we will most probably play the I-League Second Division and the U18 I-League next season. There’s a lack of competition in our country. Hence, the more they play, the better it will be for them. The education part of these kids will be looked after by the Aditya Group. Along with that, we are also looking after their specific needs in terms of diet, so that they can improve and become better players.”
The head coaches have also been announced for the age categories — Mr. Ghosh for the U13 category, and Mr. Altaf for the U15 category.
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