Interview with upcoming Indo-British footballer Paranveer Singh Sethi

Interview with upcoming Indo-British footballer Paranveer Singh Sethi

Harmit: Please tell us about yourself, your family and your connection to India?

Paranveer: I have been born and raised in London England. My father was also born and raised in England whereas my mother was born and raised in India. That gives me a strong connection to India where I have most of my family. I try to visit India as much as possible and have recently just come back from there whereby I paid a social visit to YFC Rurka Kalan, a great experience for myself which I will treasure throughout my whole career.

I live with my family: my parents and 2 sisters, am really close with all my family and have grown up with many cousins. A family that has educated me and put me on the right path. I have found that family has been an important factor in not only my life but the choice of football.

They have been supportive and behind me through everything I do and help to get the best out of me. My father has been the biggest inspiration on my career not only being supportive but the commitment to taking me to all my youth games and always searching for trials and possible clubs. This has helped me and it has made me more hungry to achieve my dream of professional football as something to repay all the faith and belief he put in me and my ability even when people put me down.

Paranveer

Harmit: Were you always attracted to football or did your passion for the game develop over a period of time?

Paranveer: Growing up my father who has always been a big follower of football pushed me into it which was really important at a young age.

He introduced me to supporting my first football team which was Aston Villa FC, I still have pictures of myself wearing my first ever shirt. I started playing when I was 6 as a hobby and was something I really enjoyed doing.

My first ever club was Eclipse FC which was a Sunday league team, over the years football just grew on me and just like any ordinary young boy, I used to sit at school waiting for the weekend knowing I had football training followed by a match.

I’ve always been very competitive which I believe has helped me to progress in football. I never used to think anything of football but just as a hobby, then I started going to summer camps and academies where I developed my ability and my father still to this day looked for clubs where I could improve. I received positive feedback and then my father had the belief in me to notice that this could be something I could continue and so I kept giving trials and then moved up to semi-professional football and here I am today at an academy run by a professional club Watford FC.

Football has always been a dream for me, growing up David Beckham was my role model and so I always wanted to be like him and I would always want to be doing something which was football related. If I was not playing it I would be watching it, but yes it has always been a dream and have always been passionate about football.

Harmit: How old were you when you seriously thought of taking to the game and decided to go to proper coaching?

Paranveer supported Aston Villa as a youngster

Paranveer: As I said football was always my dream and I always had a passion for it but at a young age you never have the belief in yourself because your too young to know the industry and so I am very lucky I had a father like I do and a family who help me improve and whom have helped me stick at it to be the player I am and I hope to continue to progress and make my family proud and show them the faith and belief they put in me was worth it. I have always been interested in not only football itself but sport as a whole and during school I have always been put into leadership courses and coaching courses. I’ve always wanted to widen my skills and not only be a footballer but show I can do more. I have a Level 1 coaching badge with the F.A which I done in secondary school. Like every player I love to learn and I feel I have a lot to learn and the younger you begin the more time you have to be a great player and make it to the top. Although I continuously learn I enjoy giving young players coaching so they can also learn and experienced youth football like themselves it can be very helpful which I found when I was young.

Harmit: Can you list the academies that you have been a part of? What was your schedule like in terms of an average week in your early teen years?

Paranveer: Started with the West Ham Academy at 7 years old for the period of 21 weeks. (2001)

Joined Eclipse FC at 7 years old, as a striker and in 2003 became the top scorer for the club.

Due to politics within the club Eclipse FC then folded up leaving the players with no club.

Joined the Leyton Orient Youth Academy for the period of 12 weeks, course that they ran in Dagenham.

Joined Clarion YFC in 2005 as a midfielder and striker as a secondary position, and helped theteam to win promotion as champions in the Chelmsford League, and also got awarded Club Midfielder of the year (2005/2006). I also scored a number of goals as I played as a striker.

In the season 2006/2007 Clarion YFC finished 5^th position in division 2, I was also awarded Club Striker of the year.

Season 2007/2008 has just finished and our position we finished was 5^th again.

Paranveer in front of goal

Up to now I have attended the David Beckham Academy as a pupil, and this I did a two week work experience.

I currently am at the Harefield Academy which is where I will be studying and taking part in a 2 year sporting excellence course which is run by Watford FC. This is a great opportunity for myself to learn, progress and hopefully can be a step to achieving my dream but this will only come by training hard, staying fit and healthy and staying positive and so I will give this all I have.

In my early teens I would train twice a week followed by a match every Sunday but now I will be training 5 times a week with a match once a week.

Harmit: What position do you normally play in? Is there where you have played most of the time in your career so far?

Paranveer: When you develop a love for the game you just want to play and that is the main thing and that what it was like for me. At a young age I was shifted all over the pitch from midfield to full back to centre forward and then back to midfield. My current dominant position is as an attacking midfielder. My physique and characteristics have always made me be best suited as an attacker. For a footballer it is important to being able to play in more than one position as you can be asked to alternate at any time because you never know what situation your team may be in and so I just love to be on the pitch whatever the position.

Harmit: Where do you play now and how long have you been there? What kind of a contract are you under and how long does this contract run?

Paranveer: Currently my football season is about to begin and I left semi-professional team Redbridge FC as I got accepted by an academy run by Watford FC. I’m taking part in professional training and a sporting excellence course which is the education side. This will be for 2 years and there are scouts from other clubs who pay regular visits. Depending on my performance and the progression on my ability this may grant an opportunity to play for Watford’s senior team whom are in the league below our Premier League. I start there on Monday, it is a new challenge for me and I can’t wait to give it my all. The academy is strict in a way where I must follow rules to be a positive role model and rules that apply with most colleges. For the football side it is a big commitment and players know what they must do but also must be setting a good example representing the academy and Watford FC.

Harmit: Where do you see yourself moving to or progressing to next?

Paranveer: Well, I always look to learn and try to do as much as I can. As you know I recently visited YFC Rurka Kalan while in India, this was a great experience and this is work other than playing football but on the social side. So I try to do as much work as I can off the pitch to be recognised and for a good cause, to promote football amongst Asians. On the football side of it I hope I can impress the Watford FC coaching staff in the 2 years I have which could grant me an opportunity to play in their first team. As I have learnt in football you never know what can happen and so I continue to trial and my father and I try and search for as many possible trials that I can attend. I’m always looking to trial to keep my options open hoping 1 day I can receive offers from professional clubs whereby I can choose one. I have belief in myself to progress but nothing is ever certain in football and so I will work as hard as I possibly can maintain commitment and dedication giving whatever sacrifices I have to make. I have always aimed high in everything I do and have been competitive and so it is no different in football.

Harmit: Why have we not had any British Asian player that has really made it through yet?

Paranveer: I think the biggest factor is the role models because these are the people players look up to and want to be like. For young British Asian players I think that majority don’t get the push I had from their family. With Asians it’s always been about focusing on education and play football as a hobby. If not football its cricket but more parents choose to make their children play cricket because of the success of India in cricket and the likes on Monty Panesar and Sajid Mahmood whom have broken into the England cricket team. This has also been in boxing whereby Amir Khan is making it big and so this interest falls onto their children. At a young age British Asians need to be introduced into something that can grow on them as they grow up like me. This comes back to role models because the closest we have had is Micheal Chopra in football and even so he hasn’t been such a successful role model, football needs to see India break into World Cup qualifiers and Asian footballers in the top leagues around the world which is my dream and something I wish to do.

Harmit: Which clubs or players, role-models do you admire and look up to?

Paranveer: My father introduced me to Aston Villa FC at a young age but when I began to watch the game my childhood team switched to Arsenal FC. The reason for this was because my cousins whom I grew up with are like my brothers and so I was always under the influence as they were role models to me. To this day the biggest role model and inspiration in the football industry has always been and will always be David Beckham. For me he has always been the player I admire and would dream to be like, not only for his football ability but generally as a person with all his adverts and sponsors. I remember when I was about 9 he used to bring out the latest fashion trends and I used to try and copy his hairstyles just like most young footballers. But generally I have been lucky to be able to watch great players such as Zinedine Zidane, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Cesc Fabregas, the list goes on. These footballers are very talented and I learn a lot by watching them play, I analysed a performance while watching it. I always want to watch football whoever are playing and every chance I get to go live I take. Even if a player is not playing in your position there is always something you can learn.

Harmit: What kind of specific goals and time frame have you set for yourself?

Paranveer: Well nowadays clubs look for talent quite young and that’s why I’m trying to get as many trials possible to keep my options open. I’m hoping to show Watford FC coaching staff that I could be a player for the future and so that after these 2 years at the college I can get signed to their senior team. This is a realistic aim and is what I am working towards. If I did make it here it would be a dream and if approached by other clubs it would be a bonus.

Harmit: Have you seen any Indian Football games? Any thoughts on what you saw?

Paranveer: I have watched clips on the internet and it’s really impressive. I have been watching the India national team, there definitely is talent within the squad but I don’t think there is much of a backing from the government, if there was potentially India could compete in World Cup qualifiers. I think that the emphasis has always been on cricket and hockey and we have always been seen to only play those sports but if there is more of a backing; it could push more young players into it and make India a force. I would love to watch a match live in India because It is important to see different styles of football as it would be very different from the England game.

Harmit: Has your family been supportive of your football related ambition?

Paranveer: My family have always been my first support and have always been there for me. At times when I have found it hard I would always have somebody there who would have belief in my ability even when I didn’t myself. As I have mentioned my father has always been the biggest inspiration in my career and without him I wouldn’t be where I am today. Having the family I have has made it easier because being British Indian surrounded by a dominated ethnicity I have sometimes felt alone but when you turn around and see your father or cousin on the touchline it gives you the extra motive. I do want my dream more to repay my family for everything they have done for me and to make my family proud is one of the most important things. I have been lucky that my family didn’t commit my life to just my education like many young British Asians and haven’t pushed me into a certain career. I have been able to play football as much as possible and that is the reason I am here today so I do want to thank my family for all they have done for me and hopefully I can make them proud by playing professionally.

Harmit: Would you ever consider playing for the India National Football team?

Paranveer: Playing for the India National team would be a privilege. It would be a dream for me to represent my country and have the India emblem near my heart because I am Indian. Although it is difficult to play for them due to the reason of playing for a club and holding an Indian passport, I would embrace an opportunity to represent India at any level whether it is Olympics or World Cup and I would give it my all. It is definitely an opportunity I would love to be offered.

Harmit: Many thanks for sparing the time to speak to us.