Bump/Flashback - QPR Indian Youth Update

And snippet in The People

Indian tonic
HOTLINE TRANSFER WINDOW SPECIAL

Qpr are inviting two Indian youngsters for trials. The club, jointly-owned by billionaire Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, held a training camp in Mumbai, and the 13-year-olds - Shaun Fernandes and India Under-14 international Hussain Vahanvaty - have been rewarded with a six-week trial at Loftus Road in May.

www.people.co.uk/sport/football/tm_method=full%26objectID=21955463%26siteID=93463-name_page.html

Nice crest!

Kenkre Football Club


Queens Park Rangers – London Calling

Mumbai, January 2: Araldite Kenkre Football Academy trainee Shaun Fernandes has been selected by Coca Cola English Championship side Queens Park Rangers FC.

QPR youth coaches Stephen Gallen and Paul Bruce chose from 30 short listed children who were picked from the South Mumbai Junior Soccer Challenge Tournament held in Mumbai. The children were put through drills for five days where the coaches from QPR made their assessment.

Araldite Kenkre F.A. trainee Shaun Fernandes and Hussain Vahanvaty were selected for a six week all expense paid training at Queens Park Rangers FC ,in England.

The coaches marked Shaun out as being good on the ball and having a winning mentality. Shaun who is regarded as one of the bright young prospects of Kenkre has earlier in the year traveled to Barcelona for a youth programme with the academy.

Besides Shaun Fernandes, Kenkre trainees Porus Shroff and Vidhit Sangekar were amongst the top 5 trainees short listed.

Seven Araldite Kenkre Football Academy trainees Yash Sawant, Porus Shroff, Shaun Fernandes, Behzad Mistry, Calvin Lobo, Aurochit Patnaik and Neel Shah have been selected in the Maharashtra 16 member squad to participate in the AIFF Under-14 Boys' Football Festival.

www.kenkrefc.com/component/content/article/1-latest-news/105-kenkre-qpr

And a reminder, we should be having two Indian youth players training at QPR this summer...

Also from a few months ago - qprreport.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=11055&page=1


QPR In The Community Trust

CHALLENGE SUCCESS FOR R’S IN MUMBAI
QPR’s trip to host the Mumbai Soccer Challenge over the New Year proved a resounding success, as promising youngsters Shaun Fernandes and Hussain Vahanvaty did enough to earn the right to attend a six-week training camp at the Club’s Harlington Training Ground.

The sheer scale of the event was best demonstrated by the fact that in attendance was Minister of State for Civil Aviation Praful Patel, MP Milind Deora, Indian National Team Captain Baichung Bhutia, as well as QPR Vice Chairman Amit Bhatia and Managing Director Ishan Saksena.

Under the watchful eye of QPR Youth Development Manager Steve Gallen, the Challenge was a unique five-a-side tournament involving municipal government aided and private schools and took place in South Mumbai.

An incredible 2,000 children all participated in the event. Open to boys and girls, the challengers were aged from eight to ten and 11 to 14 years old. A total of 24 children were hand-picked to take part in a follow-up QPR coaching clinic, where the final two were selected to make the trip to West London.

QPR Holdings Ltd Vice-Chairman Bhatia was delighted with how the event turned out. He explained how finding and promoting talent in Mumbai was always likely to happen at some point as a result of the Club’s connection to India through himself and QPR shareholder Lakshmi Mittal.

“With the Club having an Indian association, an initiative was always going to be on the cards,” he said, “but it was about what we thought would be right. We have a QPR Football in the Community Trust and this fits there.”

“There is a difference between introducing and exploiting. Clubs need to be willing to spend resources rather than earning them.

“That’s what we are looking at doing. We are planning long term. We want to give back and are showing our intentions from day one.

“We have been constantly keeping our eye on a few talented footballers from there. There were Visa issues but that hasn’t stopped us from keeping track. I don’t see why (having an Indian footballer at Rangers) is not a possibility.”

Bhatia also explained that such events are not all about marketing the Club. Indeed, he believes backing grass roots football is of greater importance.

“We don’t want to come here and sell jerseys and tickets,” he added. “We wanted to do something from the grass roots level. Promoting talent in Mumbai is up there on our agenda.”

This view is shared by QPR Managing Director Saksena, who added: “Anything is possible. We have many age group teams and if they do exceptionally well, anything can happen.

“Even if they fail to make progress, we will keep track of these kids in India and provide them with the facilities that they require. QPR will keep coming to India every year for such events.”

South Mumbai MP Deora welcomed a growing relationship between India and QPR, and he says that the rising popularity of the beautiful game in and around the country suggests that such a partnership can only be a successful one.
MP Deora said: “Football is a rapidly growing sport with youngsters taking to it in large numbers.
“Besides bringing out qualities of teamwork and the spirit of fair play, the sport also provides an ideal platform for children to engage in both health and fitness activities.”
Fernandes and Vahanvaty will now travel to West London this upcoming summer and Gallen explained that if either of the two boys impresses, then their respective stays could last beyond the six weeks.

Gallen said: “If they are good enough they might even get the chance to represent the club in the future.”

www.qprcommunitytrust.co.uk/

Agree...But in this instance, it looks like they're being brought in to promote QPR/India...Just like the Cheetri signing

Are those two Indian Youth players currently training with the club?