CHENNAI (India) – Inter Academy’s ‘Voyage in India’ continues. Technical director Marco Monti and fitness coach Andrea Ratti are in Chennai, which used to be known as Madras and is now one of the country’s primary industrial and production centres with more than 4 million inhabitants. The Nerazzurri delegation arrived from Bangalore in order to evaluate the best solutions for opening permanent centres and youth football schools in this city as well.
Over the next ten years 18 locations will be chosen in India to host the project that will export the methodologies of the Nerazzurri’s Youth Academy. Therefore, a solid and long-term situation is being examined along with the organisation of partner Playon Skills.
It was inevitable that the local press would show interest in what was going on. The Times of India dedicated considerable attention to the initiative, as did daily newspaper Hindu, along with Indonesian papers Republika, Bola Viva and Koranliga.
Marco Monti stated: "Andrea Ratti will direct this area of Inter Academy as he’s already gained a lot of important experience in our other locations. Our work is tied to the methodologies of training, but also to a software system that is very useful in identifying the characteristics of future talents in addition to then monitoring their progress."
The project has already become a reality in Bangalore, or Hosun, more precisely. "We’ve identified a high-level sporting complex with an excellent infrastructure, synthetic and grass pitches, and gymnasiums that can host 200 kids. They could also live here since the lodging facilities are in place. It’s a suitable location for Inter Academy, which aims to develop youth football in a way that promotes the future of the game in India. We’ll maintain our usual approach of total respect for the place that hosts us and our philosophy remains the same: to prioritise the child’s education over his desire to compete. We like to think of it as developing human beings rather than athletes. And as for the rest, it will be something they’ll earn on the pitch."
Everything will be ready by the end of May, and an inauguration is already being planned with the participation of Inter president Erick Thohir.
