Mumbai: Former West African Football Association (WAFA) U-19 head coach John Killa has been appointed the head of the youth development programme of the I-League outfit Bengaluru FC. Killa carries a huge amount of experience with last six years being the head of WAFA colts.
The Dutchman will be in charge of the BFC Academy and Youth Teams as well. “My main objective is to train and coach the youth teams at Bengaluru FC and to develop the skills of these youngsters so that they become professional players capable of playing for the first team. I look forward to giving structure to a development plan for both coaches and youth teams with the experience I have gained over the years,” Kila was quoted by media.
Killa has a vast knowledge of football of the Netherlands, New Zealand and Japan before landing up in Ghana to develop their age group teams for a period of six years. WAFA was formerly known as Feyenoord Ghana Academy.
Club COO Mustafa Ghouse was naturally happy to welcome the foreigner at the Indian professional setup. “We are excited to have John on board to head the youth program. He comes very highly recommended having successfully implemented youth programs in various parts of the world. We strongly believe that there is an abundance of football talent in the country and are committed to providing this talent the best support possible to achieve their true potential as footballers and as individuals,” he was quoted by the media.
It was in 2013, the Bengaluru FC youth academy was founded and since then the professional club has been nurturing the talent in the lower age groups across the length and breadth of the country.