Empowering through the beautiful game. Project based in Sonarpur, WB (20 kms outside Kolkata). The project focuses on 2 things : Thorough grassroots development of football in India - something that is majorly overlooked beyond cricket & While doing that, change lives of several young kids who are superbly talented but due to lesser privileged backgrounds, aren't able to pursue the game professionally.

1. SCHOOL OF FOOTBALL EXCELLENCE

3. WHY SCHOOL OF FOOTBALL EXCELLENCE?
Empowering thosewho find it difficult to
pursue their dreams and are forced to take
up labour work at a very young age
Football, arguably the most popular game
in world sports, brings these kids joy & a
ray of hope to follow their passion
To directly work on grassroots development
of sports in India from a very young age,
startingwith football, thus creating more
MATURE & talentedsportsmen
To replicate academic model in sports by providing
“school education” in football for several years
before sendinga studentto play for youth
leagues & then for ISL teams

4. SOFE : THE PROCESS
FIRST STEP
TRIALS & ADMISSION
STEP 2
TRAINING FOR OVER 8-10 YEARS
STEP 3
Year ROUND EXAMS
STEP 4
ENTRANCE EXAMS
To admit a kid in the age
range of 5-7 years into our
academy, through trials,
which last for around a
month.
More than just talent, we
seek the enthusiasm for the
game, willingness to
persevere and inclination to
learn, to convince us to admit
the kid and invest in him.
To pick up any profession, an
individual needs to go
through 12 years of school
education. His/her life and
profession is defined by the
knowledge he/she receives in
school.
SOFE aims to provide
“school” standard education
in football, which makes the
foundation of a player’s
football knowledge
significantly superior to just
any other talented kid.
Students of all age groups
play friendly matches with
local teams throughout the
year. Teams based out of
Kolkata or adjacent districts
are also invited to play with
SOFE teams both at their
ground as well as ours.
This whole process is
equivalent to mid-term
school exams, and helps us to
analyze student development
and develop strategies for
betterment.
The ultimate goal of the
project is to place our
students in various clubs
across the country who have
dedicated Youth Team
Development support
systems.
Be it ISL Reserves team or
residential academies, our
target is to start sending our
students for trials as soon as
they are 15-16 years old,
ensuring a smoother
transition to a professional
career.

5. THE CURRENT NATIONAL System … AND WHY SOFE IS DIFFERENT!
In India, a youngster usually plays football based only on his/her
raw talent till a significant age (14-15 years), without any
proper footballing foundation or football-directed acumination.
Restricted mostly to school level tournaments, sans proper
formal training, the only acknowledgment of their development
is through self introspection/affirmation of friends.
They are usually scouted by academies during school
tournaments when they are 14-15 years old, and even at this
age, they have very basic/negligible football education.
These youngsters are then trained for 3-4 years at these elite
academies, and move to ISL/national team set-ups thereafter,
restricting the national talent pool to mere hundreds.
CONCLUSION :
PROPER FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING AVAILABLE TO ANATIONALTEAM PLAYER ONLY FOR 3-4YEARS.
THIS IS DETRIMENTAL, AS PLAYERS COME TO ELITE ACADEMIES KNOWINGTHEY ARE ALREADY GOOD, WHICHIS HARDLY A
CONSTRUCTIVE MINDSET.
Scouting of talents between 6-8 years conducted for a period of
ONE MONTH. Selection is based not just on outright talent, but
also on enthusiasm to persevere, and willingness to learn.
The scouting process does not eliminate those who are not
outright talents; it also focuses on giving opportunities to those
who show promise or willingness to persevere.
Comprehensive football training every week over a period of 7-
8 years, dedicated to overall player development. Students train
to be through and through professionals.
After 7-8 years of football training, maturity level of each player
is significantly higher than those who play football solely based
on their talent.
CONCLUSION :
Once afootball player from SOFE is ready for his trials, he might be competing against superior talents, but he
willhave superior maturity and knowledge about the game. He willknow when tosprint, when to sustain energy,
when tofall back, when to make the short pass,when to make the long one -in short, the dream of every coach.

6. ABOUT THE LOCATION & PEOPLE : SONARPUR (20 KMSOUTSIDE Kolkata)
• Also called “mini-Brazil”, this area in Sonarpur is a veritable
football haven
• The youngsters, as well as their previous generations, have
traditionally played some level of football
• Education, and other dynamics of life are not as important as
football to the locals of this region (this covers several
municipal area and villages)
• However, due to extreme poverty, the general outcome of
this is quite unfortunate, with almost everyone forced to
work as laborer for sustenance, thereby sacrificing their
dreams of becoming professional footballers
• Proper nutrition is often not available to the kids, leading to
lack of wholesome physical development
• The concept of “khep football” - literally translating to
playing in a pay-per-match basis in local tournaments - is
rampant, preventing systematic development of these
players towards a professional career. Earning as little as Rs
200 per match is more lucrative to them, than investing years
of training to aim for professional football

7. SOFE’s JOURNEY : TIMELINE
2014 – Started with an humble objective to simply train young, talented
footballers from Dihi (Sonarpur, Kolkata)
2015 – After just ONE YEAR of training, the team returned as champions of a
school tournament where 63 other institutions took part. It was their first time
outside the village.
2016 – A student gets called up to play Bengal U15 in Santosh trophy. Plays a
vital role in the title winning campaign.
Early 2017 – Training is suspended due to lack of funds and existing
stereotypes around the locality about “NGOs making a lot of money by
showcasing poverty”.
2018 – A group of like minded individuals congregate to restart the project
with a more serious and professional approach, investing on a long-term and
sustainable plan.
2019 – Over 60 patrons become involved with the project by June, helping to
kick start the academy’s 2nd chapter . Student strength is 40.
April, 2021 – Over 20 senior girls join the program. Student strength goes up to
110.
September, 2021 – Over 200 patrons currently working towards a sustainable,
and continually developing football project. Now operating in 3 centres, with
160 students.

8. A FEW SUCCESS STORIES ON THE ROAD
2015 - 2016 2019 2019 2019
For the first time in their life, the team
collectively went outside their village to
take part in a U15 tournament featuring
63 other institutions in Kolkata.
They came back as Champions!
A year later, Bijay Mandal was selected
for Bengal U15 team and subsequently
for East Bengal U15 team as well.
After the academy restarted in 2019,
the U18 team travelled to Durgapur to
play 4 exhibition matches. With not
much expected of them, the team
played 4 full matches within a span of
36 hours.
Their result?
P – 4, W – 2, D – 2, L - 0 GF – 4, GA - 1
The U15 team travelled to
Jamshedpur for an exhibition match
against the prestigious Tata Football
Academy’s U15 teams. They had to
spend a cold December night at
Howrah station, as reaching the
station early in the morning was not
feasible.
Their result?
TFA 0 : 2 SOFE
The tale of 2 Bijay’s!
Bijay Halder got selected for the East Bengal U-13 team, and was
subsequently promoted to the U15 team within a few months.
Bijay Mandal, after having spent 4 years with the East Bengal
Juniors, captained the side in the 2019 U19 I-League
competition.

9. MAIN CENTRE
3 BATCHES
6 CLASSES A WEEK
90 BOYS (U10, U15, U19)
20 GIRLS (18+)
SUB Centre 1
1 BATCH
2 CLASSES A WEEK
25 BOYS (U12)
SUB Centre 2
1 BATCH
2 CLASSES A WEEK
25 BOYS (U12)
CENTRES

10. MAIN CENTRE - GANGAJOARA
• School of Football Excellence restarted at this venue with 40 students on
2nd June, 2019
• Now, operating with 110 students and divided into 3 batches
• Training Schedule:
Tuesday + Thursday (7:00 am to 9:00 am) – Age 14 & above
Saturday + Sunday (7:00 am to 9:00 am) – Age 14 & below
Tuesday + Thursday (9:30 am to 11:00 am) – Girls
• Facility is supported by “Gangajoara Yubak Sangha”
• Availability of all relevant and necessary training items
• A 300 sq. feet dressing room was constructed, with changing rooms,
toilets, showers and boot wash facilities.
• Ground size - Senior 7-A-Side
• Coaching conducted by Head Coach JHOTON MANNA

11. SUB CENTRE 1 – SOUTH TIHURIA
• Opened for trials on the first week of August’21, this centre was started
with the same intentions and schedule as Sub Centre 1
• Facility is supported by “South Tihuria Jubak Sangha”
• Availability of all relevant and necessary training items
• Local club’s premises are used as dressing room
• Training Schedule:
Wednesday + Friday (4:00 pm – 6:00 pm)
• Ground size - Senior 7-A-Side
• Young coaches aged between 18-20 are in charge of training here, thereby
creating a new income channel and alternative career opportunity for
them
• Coaching conducted by advanced students from the Main Centre, under
the guidance of the head coach

12. SUB CENTRE 2 - NATAGACHI
• Opened for trials on the first week of August’21, this centre was started
primarily to cater to those students who are unable to travel to the main
centre
• Caters only to students below the age of 12 years
• Operating with 25 students, training is currently conducted twice a week
• Training Schedule:
Tuesday + Thursday (4:00 pm – 6:00 pm)
• Facility is supported by “Natagachi Maitri Sangha Club”
• Availability of all relevant and necessary training items
• Local club’s premises are used as dressing room
• Ground size - Senior 9-A-Side
• Coaching conducted by same set of advanced students from Main Centre
under the guidance of the head coach

13. THE GIRL’S TEAM
• The School of Football Excellence values the importance of
gender equality.
• The main objective of the Girls Senior Team is to inspire
younger girls to proactively come and train at the academy
• The senior girls are experienced players in their own capacity,
as they have represented several clubs, and played in the
junior nationals as well
• As there is no proper structure for women’s football in India,
the academy aims to at least provide equal training
opportunity for promising girls, to prepare them for the future
• The girl’s team was formally introduced in April’21
• 20 girls were made part of the program, as they do not have
access to adequate training facilities, despite playing in several
local and state leagues throughout the year
• SOFE not only aims to provide them with a training base, but
also aspires that more young female footballers will join the
program, and find an alternative career opportunity

14. SCHEDULE OF TRAINING
DAY BATCH TIME STUDENT STRENGTH CENTRE AGE GROUP
Monday OFF
Tuesday Morning (Boys) 7:00 am – 10:00 am 40 Main Centre (Gangajoara) U15 – U19
Evening (Boys) 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm 25 Sub Centre 2 (Natagachi) U7 - U12
Wednesday Evening (Boys) 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm 25 Sub Centre 1 (South Tihuria) U9 - U12
Thursday Morning (Boys) 7:00 am – 10:00 am 40 Main Centre (Gangajoara) U15 – U19
Morning (Girls) 9:00 am – 10:30 am 20 Main Centre (Gangajoara) OPEN
Evening (Boys) 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm 25 Sub Centre 2 (Natagachi) U7 - U12
Friday Evening (Boys) 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm 25 Sub Centre 1 (South Tihuria) U9 - U12
Saturday Morning (Boys) 7:00 am – 10:00 am 50 Main Centre (Gangajoara) U7 – U14
Sunday Morning (Boys) 7:00 am – 10:00 am 50 Main Centre (Gangajoara) U7 – U14
Morning (Girls) 9:00 am – 10:30 am 20 Main Centre (Gangajoara) OPEN
• The students play local matches throughout the week

15. THE DRESSING ROOM SET UP : MAIN CENTRE
• Absence of proper sanitation facilities forced our kids to defecate/urinate in
open areas beside the training field
• Even basic changing area for the kids and the girls’ team was not available
• With the help of the local club, SOFE was granted permission to create a
dressing room in an area of 300 sq. ft. (land was given to us for free)
• A planned 2-month project was completed in less than 15 days, as labourers,
masons and others involved worked round the clock to complete the set-up
as soon as possible for the students
• The dressing room now has a 120 sq. ft. Changing Room and an adjacent area
consisting of showers, boot cleaning, urinal, basins and 2 western commode
set up
• The changing room is also used as A/V room when the head coach conducts
analytical classes with the team
• Cost of construction was close to Rs. 3 lacs

16. SOFE & CONTRIBUTION BEYOND FOOTBALL: the covid time
• School of Football Excellence tried to
ensure that our students and their
families are as minimally affected by
the raging pandemic as possible
• Almost every family lost their
livelihood during the pandemic
• With the help of some amazing and
generous people, SOFE organised
several crowd funding initiatives to
acquire ration support for the kids
and their families
• Spread over a time period until
livelihood was restored, the students
were given rice, aata, daal, mustard
oil, potato, onions, sugar, salt, soya
beans, turmeric powder, eggs and a
few other necessary items

17. SOFE & CONTRIBUTION BEYOND FOOTBALL: OTHERS
QUICK ACCESS TO
DOCTORS FOR ALMOST
ALL KIND OF REMEDIES
MEDICAL & HOSPITAL SUPPORT
NOT JUST FOR STUDENTS BUT
WHOEVER SEEKS HELP
OCCASIONAL SUPPORT OF RATION TO
FAMILIES WHO FIND IT DIFFICULT TO MAKE
ENDS MEET IN TOUGHCIRCUMSTANCES
MENTAL HEALTHWELLBEING : THROIGH
SOFE, WEcontinuously monitor the
mental wellbeingof our players
This is a very essential thing as our
students live in an area where they
grow up witnessing domestic violence,
unofficial separation, drug & alcohol
addiction as part of their daily life. We
constantly keep updates about such
things and try to address it either with
the student or their guardians

18. LOCAL MINDSET IN THE FIRST 2-3 YEARS OF SOFE
(2014 – 2017)
CURRENT MINDSET & CHANGE
(2019 onwards..)
School of Football Excellence was a typical NGO that came to
underprivileged areas to click pictures and showcase poverty to earn
money
Young players were forced to abandon football, and take up
skilled/unskilled labour to support the family livelihood
School education was not at all part of daily life as students preferred
to stay out of schools to play “khep football” or help their parents in
daily labour
Students came and left seeing no significant change in their lives
Coach & other members of the staff were threatened to reveal how
much money everyone was making by “poverty marketing” their
localities
Parents of the students now come here to completely hand over
responsibilities of their kids to us
Cooperation from parents have increased significantly as they have
witnessed everything that School Of Football Excellence has been
trying to do for their students and their families
Locals offer help in every possible way and have embraced the
academy as their very own
Students do not leave the camp anymore as they now completely
adhere to the ethos and aims of the academy which, in every possible
way, matches with theirs

19. HOW DOES THE ACADEMY FINANCIAL SUSTAIN ITSELF?
• The academy is financially supported by Patrons
• All our patrons contribute an amount of no less than Rs. 500 every month
which aids in a stable and sustainable approach to the whole set up
• Almost 90% of the money generated from the patrons’ contributions is
utilised every month for operational purposes while the rest is saved for
emergencies
• All patrons are part of a WhatsApp group, where every academy related
matter is communicated regularly to them
• Only after the funds through patron contribution is secured, the academy
opens up for one-time funding from either individuals or corporate set-ups.
• These extra funds are allocated for special projects - generally used to
procure long-term assets, which can be used for a long time without direct
dependence on patron contribution
DO YOU WISH TO JOIN THE PROGRAM AS A PATRON?
REGISTER - https://forms.gle/akX7GopzjYH8UUFFA

20. ADVANTAGE
OF SOFE OVER OTHER GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL PROJECTS IN INDIA
School of Football Excellence is still a small project in terms of its reach and credibility, but in terms of dedication to improve the
existing football infrastructure of this country, it is unique and ambitious, as we are here for the long run.
We are still preparing our biggest batch to be ready for the big leap in the next few years, but a few of our students are currently
ready for the next important phase in their careers.
Some of the most crucial advantages that SOFE has over other football projects:
THE PROJECT IS ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON DONATIONS, SO EVERY SOFE STUDENT IS A PART OF THIS ACADEMY BASED SOLELY ON
THEIR MERIT.
THERE IS NO “PAY & PLAY” SYSTEM, ELIMINATING THE POSSIBILITY OF A LESS THAN PROMISING STUDENT AVAILING TRAINING
FACILITIES JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVE PAID MONEY, THEREBY BLOCKING OPPORTUNITIES FOR A MORE DESERVING CANDIDATE.
ALL PLAYERS INVOLVED AIM TO BE PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS SOME DAY!
ABOVE ALL, SOFE OPERATES AT A LOCATIONTHAT IS ONE OF INDIA'S SECRET FOOTBALL HAVENS, TEEMINGWITH UNPRECEDENTED
TALENTAND UNBELIEVABLE SCOPE FOR DEVELOPMENT.

21. WHERE/HOW TO FOLLOW US
https://www.linkedin.com/company/school-of-football-excellence
https://www.facebook.com/SCHOOL.OF.FOOTBALL.EXCELLENCE
https://goo.gl/maps/QwCsSeGH5JdFBBaz7

22. THIS INITIATIVE WAS STARTEDBY OFFICIAL LIVERPOOL SUPPORTERS CLUB IN KOLKATA
(POPULARLY KNOWN AS BENGAL KOP)
HOWEVER,WITH THE GROWTH OF THE PROJECT, PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENTDYNAMICS OF LIFE HAVE COME TOGETHER (IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR
ALLEGIANGE IN CLUB FOOTBALL) TO BRING A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE TO INDIAN FOOTBALL
THE ACCOUNTSAND OPERATIONS ARE MANAGED BY LIVERPOOL SUPPORTERS CLUB KOLKATA, A REGISTERED SOCIETY (NON PROFITABLE) ENTITY
Reg No: S/2L/ No.: 15199, West BengalSociety Registration Act, 1961

23. JOIN US!
DO YOU WISH TO JOIN THE PROGRAM AS A PATRON?
REGISTER - https://forms.gle/akX7GopzjYH8UUFFA
HOW TO SUPPORT?
LONG TERM COMMITMENT of AN AMOUNT
EQUIVALENT OF RS. 500 EVERY MONTH
WHAT TO EXPECT..
ADEQUATE INVESTMENT ON DEVELOPING
THE CHILD FOOTBALLER FOR OVER A PERIOD
OF 8-10 years aiming to turn them into
professional footballers

24. THANK YOU!
CONTACT – 9874818626 (KRISHNENDU)