The summary was very positive: after eight days of training sessions, games and insights in Stuttgart, the Indian U17 national team ended their stay with VfB.
The 32-person delegation arrived in Stuttgart on Wednesday 17 May and played a friendly against the VfB U19s on the same day, which the Cannstatt boys won 3-1.
The Indian team are currently preparing for the U17 Asia Cup in June in Thailand, so on the days without matches, there were training sessions with VfB youth coaches on the agenda. The U16 coaching staff held a session focusing on transitional play, while Markus Fiedler’s U17 team led a session on relief from pressure situations.
Activities off the pitch weren’t forgotten either. In several lectures by academy staff on the topics of data science, nutrition and sports psychology, the team learned about VfB’s educational work and also discovered the Mercedes-Benz Arena and Stuttgart city centre.
“The experience with international teams and cultures is very valuable for our young players, so these encounters are very important for us,” said academy director Thomas Krücken.
The delegation returned to Stuttgart on Saturday and watched the VfB first team’s match against TSG Hoffenheim at the Arena. We’d like to thank them for the visit and wish the team the best of luck at the Asia Cup. Thanks also go to Bundesliga International for the cooperation that brought about this project.