A football club, in the heart of Thane, driven by passion, dedication, and a shared love for the beautiful game is making noise for all the good reasons. Thane Soccer Prodigies, a club born from the dreams of a group of local enthusiasts, is rapidly making waves in the Indian football landscape.
From Leisure to League
What began as casual games among friends on a local turf has transformed into a serious footballing endeavor. Ashwin Doke, the co-owner of Thane Soccer Prodigies, recalls the humble beginnings: “We all live in a township called Lodha Amara located in Thane which has around 8,000 apartments. Before the formation of the club, we formed a group of 70-80 people to gather and to play football for fun and fitness. It was during these games that the idea of creating a club started to take shape.
Last year october, I came to know that Ashutosh Rathod (Ashu), who plays with us, is the owner of a club in Mumbai called Mumbai Soccer Prodigies and he wanted to start in Thane also. Without thinking too much, I collaborated with him, and Thane Soccer Prodigies was formed.”
“I was planning to buy a bullet bike. I invested that amount and started a club”, Ashwin chuckled.
Nurturing Young Talent
One of the core objectives of Thane Soccer Prodigies is to nurture young talent and provide them with opportunities to showcase their skills. The club has fielded two teams in the Thane league, one in Division 1 and another in Division 2. The Division 2 club consists of relatively older semiprofessionals, while the Division 1 club has more professionals.
Doke emphasizes the importance of guiding young players: “My aim is to guide the energy of the youngsters in the right way so that they stay away from negative influences. Football gives them a chance to inculcate discipline. If they eat junk or stay awake late at night, the next day they see a dip in their performance. That negative feedback encourages them to lead a healthy lifestyle.”
Overcoming Challenges and Building a Future
Ashutosh, the head of football operations and the co-owner of the club runs all the football activity related to the club. Since he has good connections in the Mumbai football circuit, the players of TSP do get a chance to showcase their talent in Mumbai as well.
“Ashu runs all the operations of football. He was working as a sports in charge at K G Somaiah College and now he is completely into coaching. Thanks to his efforts, few of our players are now getting opportunities to play for Thane,” Ashwin added.
“An 11 vs 11 turf rent will come around 15,000 per session in a big city. I could run the club because we have access to this turf inside our housing colony itself for free. If we have to access a private ground, then the expense will increase by three times. If we can make playing fields available at a reasonable rent, then more clubs will emerge and can thrive.”
Thane Soccer Prodigies remains optimistic about the future. As per Ashwin, the Thane Football Association is doing remarkable work in the grassroots. On being asked where he wants his club to be seen after 5 years, Ashwin gave an optimistic reply; “Our immediate aim is to gain promotion and enter the elite league of Thane, so that we can compete for a spot in I-League 3. Our long-term aim is to break into the I-league circle in the next 5 years. If possible, we want to own our ground.”
A Vision for Indian Football
Doke believes that India has immense potential in football. “Talent is everywhere,” he says, “but access to quality infrastructure is a major bottleneck.” Doke believes that by providing affordable access to football facilities, the club culture can be improved.
“It is an unsaid rule that young players play in the lower divisions and the players in their mid-twenties and older will play the top divisions. Lamine Yamal, the Spanish prodigy, played for Barcelona at the age of 16 years. Can we even imagine that in Indian football? Ashu always pushes the talented young players so that they can play at the senior level as soon as possible.”
Thane Soccer Prodigies, as the name goes, are on a mission to develop football prodigies who can represent the national team in the future. The club which started off as a leisure time activity will soon become a beacon of hope for aspiring young footballers of Thane.
