Ahmedabad

I-League

football

Gujarat State Football Association

Vikram Patel

Kolhapur

GSFA treasurer Philip Job, ARA FC’s Vikram Patel and Vivek Nagul; Pic:JIGNESH VORA

Two weeks afterMirror first broke the news (City team set for I-league, AM, Nov 25), it is now official that Ahmedabad Racquet Academy FC is set to become the first team from the state to feature insecond division.The news surely livens upfans in the state.(GSFA) treasurer and former player Phillip Job hoped that it should serve as the much-needed fillip for the sport in the state."I would say that it is the perfect stage for football's take-off in the state. For long we have been minnows but things have started to change in recent times. We have been doing well in the under-age categories and already playing in the under-18 I-league," Job asserted."But there was a vacuum in the 18-24 years division. It is the period where most players develop. I think ARA FC's presence in I-League second division, can be a platform for our players to showcase their skills," the veteran administrator said.While expectations are big, ARA FC bossand football director Vivek Nagul remained realistic about their chances."I am not holding high expectations. It will be a learning process for us and I want to keep things real," Patel said, adding, "But I hope with time we will be able to boost football in the state. That is something I am looking for in the long run.""With the tournament around the corner, we don't have much time. But I think in another 1-2 years we will have a strong base and will be more competitive then," added Nagul, who has years of experience in coaching some ISL and I-League teams.While the team is still taking shape, Nagul said for the first year they are looking at experienced match-fit players."While we will have some 20 odd players from Gujarat, we will be looking for some experienced players to ensure that we are competitive," Nagul said, adding, "We will also be looking at 10 players from outstate. I will be travelling to Bengaluru andwhere the leagues are currently on."We are hoping to pick players who are match fit and experienced. Since we are short on time, our primary focus would be to ensure that the players bond well."