According to former captain Sunil Chhetri, spotting gifted football players early on would be essential to the growth of the game in India.

Finding gifted football players at the age of six or so and getting them to train in reputable academies with sufficient facilities are crucial if India’s football standards are to rise. According to Indian football star Sunil Chhetri, schools must also contribute by holding more physical education classes each week.

The most crucial element is spotting talent at the appropriate age. We are a vast nation with talent spread throughout its territory. Talented children who live in isolated areas need to be found and taken to facilities with better resources. The distinction is this. As early as age six, identify and instruct children. They might not have the best training facilities, but that’s good. Allow them to grow with the resources at their disposal.

World-class coaches are not necessary at the grassroots level, but they should be able to identify talent and help them advance as soon as feasible. We don’t have this.

I firmly think that in order to accelerate our development, we must turn into a sporty nation.

The highest level of authority must set the direction for this. Our institutions must be able to better support kids if we want to become a sports-centric nation. While there may be ten math lectures at the same time, the majority of our schools only offer two physical education (PE) lessons per week.

“Naturally, a child who aspires to be a great athlete is not given the same opportunities as someone who wants to become an engineer. The same is true for someone who aspires to be a guitarist or painter. This is the change I am referring to.”