Interview - "It is my dream to represent India" - Pratik Shinde, Houston Hurricanes FC

Pratik Shinde playing for the Houston Hurricanes (earlier called Galveston Pirates SC)

Sepp Blatter, the FIFA president believes that India is the sleeping giant of football. India has the second largest population in the world but it is very under represented in terms of a footballing population.

However, Pratik Shinde, the youngest kid to get a football contract abroad at the age of 15 thinks time will change and that too very soon. Having signed a contract to play for Galveston Pirates SC (now called Houston Hurricanes) in Texas, United States, Shinde created history 3 years back.

In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Shinde talks about his football career, cultural differences that he had to face abroad, the Indian Super League and much more.

Describe your journey from Chembur to USA

I come from a very modest background and am from Chembur, Mumbai. In 2011 my life took a giant leap when I signed a contract with Texas-based Galveston Pirates, a semi-professional team in USA’s fourth-tier National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). That moment is till date one of the best moments of my life. As soon as I got the opportunity, I wanted to tell my mother all about it, as it was her dream too to see me playing football. I started preparing myself by practicing more and training really hard as it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

I was excited about completing the paper work but soon came the first disappointment. Though I had earned a contract with the US club, I did not have the funds to purchase air tickets and was denied a visa initially. During that moment of crisis, Buldana Urban Co-Operative Society Ltd. came forward to help me live my dream. They sponsored my travel expenses, visa and insurance. After i got my visa, I started dreaming about playing football abroad and told my mother that i will make her proud.

Tell us about your initial football learning in India.

I started playing football at the age of 7 but I used to play it for fun till the time I was 11. I was a regular student of Adarsha Vidhyalaya, Chembur and that’s when my games teacher spotted me and took me to Kenkre Football Academy for formal football training. After learning the basics there, I started to train under the renowned youth development coach Maloy Sengupta, who was also in charge of India U-14 National team. He saw my game and told me to take up the sport professionally.

I started playing for the AFA (Andheri Football Academy) in various age group tournaments and soon was selected for the U-14 team of the Steadfast Academy to represent the country in Gothia Cup Youth Football Tournament in Sweden where almost 40,000 players participated from prominent academies of 65 different countries across the globe.

After scoring against a German youth team, I got my share of media publicity. Mumbai-based institutional club Air India offered me a place in their junior I-League side, but I was aiming for something even bigger. Meanwhile, my international trips continued to provide me with valuable exposure, as I participated in various age group tournaments in Denmark and Germany playing for the Steadfast Academy..

Soon there was another opportunity waiting in line for me. Spanish club Alcobendas FC wanted to sign me. It was the opportunity of a lifetime for me but I had to let the offer go due to financial constraints. I could not find a sponsor to bear travel and logistics expenses for the proposed trip to Spain. All these expereinces helped become more dedicated and sincere towards my game.

Describe to us the support you have received from Brandon Keyes, the head coach of Galveston Pirates SC.

He has had a major role in shaping my football career. My tickets got sponsored but still I was worried about my expenses in USA. Mr. Keyes offered me a helping hand by sponsoring food, education and any other expenses during my stay in the United States. Apart from that, getting trained under his constant guidance helped me improve my footballing skills.

What were the differences that you experienced while in the US?

Training was completely different to what I had known in India. I don’t just mean the modern techniques of training and the sophisticated equipment, but the entire team atmosphere was very inspiring. Everyday I learned something new and the training sessions were never enough. I always wanted to learn more and they had new lessons to offer me every time.

I missed my family the most when I was there. Whatever diet you follow, sometimes you do miss your Mom’s food.

Your thoughts about the Indian Super League?

ISL is a great step taken by the AIFF and IMG Reliance. India has many talented football players and the ISL will help them showcase their talents. It will also provide a much needed platform to the upcoming footballers of our country. Personally I would love to get picked by the Mumbai team.

The ISL will be a window for me to enter the Indian football arena. I am eagerly awaiting it because I see myself playing for India in the future and if I get opportunities in India, I don’t want to go to play in any other country.

Tell us more about your workout regime.

Fitness is one thing which keeps me going, hence I train a lot. I get up at 4.30 am and take a local from Juinagar and travel to Chembur for my fitness training. I train there for 2 hours and then come back, study and rest. At 4.00 PM, I go to the gym. After returning from there, I have my yoga and meditation classes, that are equally important. I come back home by night, spend time with my family and then sleep by 12. Initially it was quite an ordeal to follow such a hectic schedule but now I am used to it. In fact I feel sick if I don’t follow it.

Pratik during his arduos training regime

What is the next target you have set for yourself?

It is every footballer’s dream to play for their country and so I won’t stop till I get the chance to represent India.

A message you have for your fellow youngsters of the nation.

Whatever sport you follow, follow it with all your heart. It is important to be persistent with one’s dreams, because there is something magical when they come true. Secondly don’t let circumstances pull you down. Life is too short to live with all the negativitiy. If you have the will there is a way out for you. Just stay positive and keep working hard.