Mangaluru: Football academies and coaches in the city are witnessing a surge in enquiries and bookings in recent times. While some academies are attributing the increase to FIFA fever, others say that the interest among students to take up football is steadily growing.
Rise in Interest Among Students
Sujith KV, an executive committee member of the DK District Football Association and a coach of FC Mangalore at Yenepoya (Deemed to Be) University and other schools, told TOI that there has been a sharp increase in students opting for football, with many preferring it over other sports. Football has grown into a good trending sport in Dakshina Kannada, he said, adding that turf like Perfect Pass is seeing a rise in bookings.
FIFA Season Boost
Atthaullah of Greensfield Turf in Ullal said that he has seen more bookings during the FIFA season, around 7-11 on a daily basis. Linson CC, manager of Mangalore City FC, said that he has been seeing 3–4 enquiries on a daily basis since the start of FIFA. However, he pointed out that since football is not an income-generating sport in the country yet, there is a decline in coaches and players opting for the sport as a full-time sport.
Growing Craze Among Girls
Sharan Shetty of Titans Academy said that there is a rise in students, including girls, opting for football. During April and May, we saw a spike of around 30-40% amid the FIFA season. He said that the football craze in the city has been steadily increasing in the past three years.
Summer Camp Success
DM Aslam, president of the Dakshina Kannada Football Association, said that there is a good upward trend and growing interest among students in football. He said that in last year’s summer camp around 50-60 students participated in the camp, whereas this year the figure jumped to 280. The association plans to live-stream this year’s FIFA final indoors due to the rain.
