Two 14 year-old winners of the Milind Deora Junior Soccer Challenge speak of the experience of coaching at the famous Queens Park Rangers Football Club (QPR )

Shaun Fernandes and Hussain Vahanvaty are one step closer to their dream of being professional football players. The two boys were the first winners of the Milind Deora Junior Soccer Challenge, a competition launched in 2009 in an effort aimed at giving passionate, young football players the opportunity to hone their skills, with a six-week coaching clinic at the famous Queens Park Rangers Football Club (QPR) in London.

Up against 1,700 other players, the two 14 year-olds could not believe their luck when they were declared winners.


Shauna Fernandes and Hussain Vahanvaty, winners of the Milind Deora
Junior Soccer Challenge, at Cooperage for the Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy
for West Zone. Pic/ Atul Kamble

"I was shocked!" said Fernandes. For, Vahanvaty, who was in Delhi playing for Maharashtra at the time of the Junior Soccer Challenge, it felt like destiny was playing out his wishes. "I asked to come to Mumbai for the tournament because I had the feeling that I could get it."

The programme held a rigorous schedule that included an early start on the field, matches, exposure to a new city, and of course, staying on top of academics.

But both boys agree that the greatest challenge was the game. "The training was very tough," admitted Fernandes.

On the difference between playing at home and in London, Vahanvaty said, "It's more physical. It's way faster. They run faster, and they move the ball faster."

The shift in environment also challenged them. And of adapting to playing in the English elements, Fernandes said, "It was drizzling, wet, and cold. I was freezing out there!"

For the boys, the challenge was worthwhile, since the programme allowed them the opportunity to develop strong techniques, meet senior team players, and play with and against an international team.

Watching his games from the bleachers, Vahanvaty's parents can see the improvement the opportunity has offered him. "There's significant improvement in his game, and in his thinking process. He realised what it was to compete on a world stage. In England, he was exposed to the highest quality of football," said his father Huzaifa Vahanvaty.

With the last Milind Deora Junior Soccer Challenge having taken place last month, and the winners recently announced, Vahanvaty has some advice for the next lucky few to go to QPR: "They should do their best, try to build up their speed so that they can adjust faster, and try to work out a bit before taking off."

Having shared the experience together Vahanvaty and Fernandes are now close friends with a common goal: to continue improving their football skills, and strive to play professionally.