Constantine takes U-17 WC probables to a go-karting session

Stephen Constantine, head coach of India’s senior national team, gave the Under-17 World Cup probables a surprise when he took them to enjoy a go-karting session.

Published : Feb 23, 2017 14:08 IST , New Delhi

Constantine...“It is always good to take the boys out of their comfort zone and at the same time have some fun.”
Constantine...“It is always good to take the boys out of their comfort zone and at the same time have some fun.”
lightbox-info

Constantine...“It is always good to take the boys out of their comfort zone and at the same time have some fun.”

With an aim to manage stress and allow the young footballers to have some fun time, head coach of the Indian senior national team Stephen Constantine took the Under-17 World Cup probables to a go-karting session. The Under-17 squad is without a regular coach and it’s being trained by Constantine and his support stuff that includes sports scientist Danny Deigan, goalkeeping coach Rogerio Ramos, national team assistant coach Shanmugam Venkatesh and AIFF’s technical director Savio Mederia.

“It is always good to take the boys out of their comfort zone and at the same time have some fun. I cannot say who the fastest was but for sure it was a staff member,” Constantine told www.the-aiff.com.

In a first for many players, go-karting struck a chord with the squad and left all in a jolly mood, the release stated. “We were pumped up for the training session and then the coach (Stephen Constantine) told us that we were going for go-karting. It was a chance for us to do something new and out of the world, blowing off some steam in the process,” Aniket Jadhav was quoted as saying.

“We enjoyed a lot and had fun. I think I drove the fastest lap,” Aniket laughs. Komal said, “It was a first for me. I had never done go-karting and learning something is always great. You need to take your mind off football and sometimes these activities help us a lot to regain our focus while refreshing us,” he added.

Savio Mederia hailed Constantine’s approach. “It is imperative for young footballers to develop in a safe and fun environment. Heaping them with pressure on the pitch can sometimes result in mental fatigue. Activities such as this go a long way in helping a footballer in balancing out the mental stress,” he opined. “We need to understand that they are young and they too want to have fun just like other boys,” he added.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment