More Certified Coaches = More Sporting Success

Setting up a National Institute of Sports Coaching at Patiala is a very positive move. It will be to be set up at a cost of Rs 253 crore over three years. There is a clear link between the number of certified sports coaches and the success of a country’s national team; nowhere is this more apparent than in football. Spain boast some 25,000 certified coaches for 411,000 players at a ratio of 1:17 (by far the lowest ratio in the world) and it’s no coincidence they are World Champions and European Champions at the senior, Under-21 and Under-19 level. Compare that to England, who in spite of all the funding, infrastructure and national interest that English football has, have a ratio of 1:812 and consistently fail at the highest level. The move to create and fund a centre for coaching should see Indian sports teams perform better in the long term.