FC Madras sends five youth players to Sweden for elite training at IF Brommapojkarna

CHENNAI: In a significant move aimed at elevating the standards of youth football development in India, FC Madras has sent five of its most promising players to Sweden for a month-long training programme at IF Brommapojkarna — one of Europe’s most famous youth academies. The stint, which runs from October 1 to 24, offers the players an in-depth experience in one of the continent’s top footballing environments.

Abhishek Yadav, CEO of FC Madras and former Deputy General Secretary of the All India Football Federation, told DT Next, “At FC Madras, we really want to test our players at a higher level. While we’re happy with our progress within India, we want to benchmark ourselves internationally. Brommapojkarna is known for its focus on youth development and discipline — it’s the right place for our boys to experience football at its best.”

The five players selected for the tour come from three different age categories and represent some of the best young talent from the academy. They include 14-year-old striker Areez from Tamil Nadu, U-16 player Adithya from Maharashtra, and the U-18 trio of Shamil from Kerala, along with Aathilingesh and Rajesh from Tamil Nadu. Shamil has been the top scorer in India’s youth league system for two consecutive seasons.

“We’ve chosen position-specific players, and these five have shown great potential,” Abhishek explained. “It’s a strategic move to see how our top talent competes in a demanding European setting.”

The training experience at IF Brommapojkarna is designed to be holistic. Apart from intensive on-field sessions that focus on tactical awareness, decision-making, and match fitness, players will take part in classroom learning, off-field mentoring, and practice matches against academy teams. The exposure is expected to give the youngsters a sense of European football culture, professionalism, and discipline — elements that FC Madras hopes to integrate into its own system.

To ensure that the learning process benefits the club as a whole, FC Madras has also sent two of its senior coaches — Technical Director Venkatesh Shanmugam and U-14 Head Coach Suren Chettri, both former national team coaches — to accompany the squad. “This isn’t just an opportunity for our players, but for our coaching staff as well,” Abhishek said. “Learning from European methodologies will help us shape our own training philosophies and adapt best practices to our environment.”

The club has fully funded the trip without external sponsorship. “We don’t see this as a cost but as an investment in the future of Indian football,” Abhishek added. “We are committed to contributing to the game’s growth at every level.”

This marks FC Madras’s first overseas training partnership, though the U-17 team toured Turkey last year for international friendlies. Later this month, the U-18 team will travel to Malaysia for four international matches as part of the club’s broader development roadmap.

“We’re building something long-term,” Abhishek said. “We’re hopeful this will set a benchmark for Indian academies to push their boundaries and think globally.”