Unlike most of their counterparts, Bengaluru kids, Treia Menon and Avaneesh Kamath have kick-started a game plan! While they may be all of 10 and 11, the young football enthusiasts from Bengaluru are showing signs of making it big — after being the only players to be selected from Bengaluru by Tata Motors School Football Championship to train at English Premiere League’s Crystal Palace FC in London. The zesty sports enthusiasts share the inside track with us, just as they set off on one of the biggest dribbles in their life...
Reminiscing about how playing football was something Treia did for as long as she remembers, the 10-year-old striker excitedly shares, “My dad is a sportsperson, so both my siblings and I have been playing ever since we were as little as five. I’m one among only three girls who are a part of this training. When I started playing at Greenwood High, we didn’t really have a team for girls. But after my coach was convinced about my desire to play, we saw more support.”
On the other hand, Avaneesh, a right-back pipes how playing the sport with his twin brother was how the interest caught up. “I have been part of the winning team at my school, Greenwood High International. My parents were always supportive of us playing soccer, and that’s how the passion built up.”
Avaneesh and Treia were part of the boys and girls U-12 winning teams that were the National Champions at SFC, defeating some of the best schools in and around the country. The opportunity to train under the Premier League, Football Club Crystal, Palace FC for 10 days sprouted out of a Tata Motors School Football Championship (SFC) that took place between December-January’16.
While the enterprising kids showed signs of having an aptitude for sports, it was only a strict schedule that helped them get this far. “My parents were very particular that we followed a discipline. I’m up by 5.40 every morning and train for a couple of hours before getting ready for school that starts at 8. It was hard initially, as there was quite a distance from my place to the training ground. Now that I’m used to it, things have become easier,” pipes the 11-year-old Avaneesh, who also goes to Greenwood International School.
Despite juggling academics and devoting a sizable amount of time to football, the die-hard Cristiano Ronaldo fans speak about how they always make time to indulge their other passions. “We share a common love for math and playing the keyboard. I’m quite outdoorsy and also like making new friends,” reveals Treia with a chuckle!
As they chart out to London early this morning, to train for 10 days, along with eight other kids from other cities who’ve been zeroed in; there’s clear evidence of excitement at their footie sojourn ahead.
“This is the first time we are heading off to an international destination to train under such a prestigious league. There are going to be kids from other cities, and while we are persistent on giving our best, we are also looking at this as an opportunity to making new friends.”
