The Peninsula
Having its own residential football academy and gaining promotion to the elite division of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) League are some of the immediate goals for Karachi United (KU), a top official of the club said here yesterday.
The club from the port city have embarked on a challenging task to transform the lives of hundreds of underprivileged children using the passion of the game as a tool for change.
For the outside world Pakistan is a cricket-crazy country, but Karachi United club officials disputed the claim saying that in pockets of the country football still rules as the number one sport and Karachi is one of them.
“The football club structure is very good in Karachi. We have some 450 clubs in Karachi and in Lyari we have 250 football clubs,” said Imran Ali, Karachi United’s Director.
Officials of the club along with members of the Under-12 team are in Qatar at the invitation of Aspire Academy to take part in a series of matches to be played at the state-of-the-art facilities ground.
The Under-12 team, by virtue of been winners of the Standard Chartered Bank-sponsored tournament in Pakistan got the privilege to play in Qatar.
The club formed in 1996, plays in the B Division, the second tier of PFF, and it launched its ambitious community reach programmes to scout talent throughout Karachi in 2010, starting with the U-8 boys.
The club has set lofty goals ahead of them on the youth development front and for its players development.
“Some of the players want to be professional footballers, hopefully that will happen, if we can continue providing them opportunities, they will continue honing their skills and by the will of Allah one day become big players, but it’s a long way to go, but you have to be able to dream if you don’t dream big no point in living,” said Ali.
The club has a launched one of its kind youth development programme which scouts and train footballers from different areas of the city.
The teams touring Qatar are elite outfits selected from different community centers spread across the length and breadth of Karachi.
“We have more than hundred part-time coaches and we have community centers led by a head coach. We have a very strong coach development programme because we need them to be talking about the same football coaching philosophy,” Ali said.
Karachi United has age group teams starting from the age of 8 and extend till the age of 18, and Ali is hoping that the senior team also qualifies for the premier division of the league.
“Karachi United are playing in the B Division of the PFF League and we hope we can qualify for the elite division, sometime really soon.
The club runs a day academy for footballers and hope to convert it into a residential academy in the near future.
“We hope in the future, we have a residential academy, which will take care of their education,” said Ali.
He hoped the football youth development movement spreads throughout the country.
“In a country of 200 million, one academy alone is not enough. So, if someone wants to take our knowledge and spread the movement by following our model in different cities, we are more than happy to provide that assistance.”