Mohun Bagan Academy (in red) and Green Valley players in action in an exhibition match at Judges Field in Guwahati on Saturday. Picture by UB Photos

Guwahati, Dec. 13: The Mohun Bagan AC Football Academy has set its sights on Assam to spread its wings as a part of its youth development programme.

Disclosing this here today, the academy’s chief executive officer Kalyan Choubey said they would like to set up a branch in Assam to nurture talent and “bring Assamese players to mainstream football”.

“We are not planning it immediately. But we would love to set up an academy probably in Guwahati where players from across the region can be groomed,” Choubey, a former international player, said.

He was in the state with the academy’s under-17 team, which played six arranged matches against various academies in the state as a part of an MoU between the club and the Assam Football Association (AFA).

“The other states of the region like Mizoram and Manipur have been a traditional producer of footballers to clubs across the nation. But, we felt that Assam, which has more potential, are yet to supply players to the mainstream and we have resolved to bring out talent under our joint initiative,” Choubey said.

AFA secretary Ankur Dutta said he was interested in adopting at least one of the academies the Mohun Bagan team has played with.

The club has already set up academies in Calcutta, Jalpaiguri and other places apart from their main academy at Durgapur where youngsters from across the nation are being groomed for nearly a decade.

Inviting the academies to tour Calcutta, Choubey said, the Calcutta giant would provide technical expertise and logistical support on exposure tours. The same is also a term in the MoU of the club with the AFA.

Green Valley Sports Club academy has already opted for a Calcutta tour revealed the club’s president Pulak Goswami. About the current tour of his team, Choubey said, “I have been informed that all the matches were quite competitive and in some of the matches the team performed below expectations, lacking match practice and with the pressure of wearing the Mohun Bagan tag.”

He also said his academy has deputed scouts to spot players from Assam. “Our spotters will pick up some players from across the state for a trial for our academy. I hope at least eight names will come up for the trials in Calcutta,” he said.