AIFF Media Team
NEW DELHI: The I-League Workshop for Club Representatives held at the Football House saw 12 Media Officers from I-League Clubs drop in. Apart from the Media Officers, the Team Managers of the respective Clubs, the Youth Development Officers and Match Day Operations Officers also attended the Workshop.
AIFF did not give Media Activities a backseat keeping a separate one-hour session, one of the first of its kind in India where AIFF Media Manager Nilanjan Datta stressed on a Media Officer wearing two Hats at the same time – organising Media Activities and also filing reports as a Journalist.
“Very often in India, there’s a step motherly treatment dished out to journalists who are covering at the venue,” Datta said. “Providing all basic requirements to a journalist at the venue stays on top of AIFF’s priority list,” he added.
“We need to remember that a journalist is the first one to walk into a match and the last one to leave. All what they require is a peaceful Press Box with Internet Connectivity and a decent seating system. The Press Conference Room and the Mixed Zone should be adjacent and properly managed.”
Micky Aigner, Media Manager Pune FC maintained that the Workshop which also threw light on Laws of the Game, Kit Regulations, Match Day operations, Youth Development and Safety Measures was a “different one.”
“This was a very different Workshop. It had a holistic approach. It brought to the fore that every Department is overlapping and interlinked. Like the Session on Laws of the Game and Match Day operations had parts of Media in it and vice versa,” Aigner said.
Debayan Mukherjee from AIFF Media Department was also present in the Workshop amongst others.
Elaine Colaco, who looks after Salgaocar SC’s Media Operations as well Youth Development, echoed Micky’s sentiment.
“Such Workshops are very much needed. It brings all the I-League Clubs together and is very healthy. We are all working towards one goal and that is developing Indian Football. Various Departments coming together and exchanging ideas through a Workshop is wonderful. I thank the AIFF and I-League for organising such an unique initiative,” she opined.
“Against the background of Pre-Match Day and Match Day Media Operations, we tend to ignore reportage. Unless information reaches to Media personnel in time for them to meet their deadline, the entire effort goes waste,” Nilanjan stated. “It’s a thankless job and we need to cater to all,” he maintained. “The job of a Media Officer doesn’t end with the final whistle,” Datta said.
Sporting Clube de Goa’s Media Officer Aldrid Da Costa felt the Workshop was a “relevant one.”
“The Media presentation conducted at the AIFF Workshop was broken up into small nuggets of knowledge which were easy to digest. The information touched on best practice within the industry and was relevant not only to the Media Managers, but struck a chord with all those present,” Aldrid pronounced.
Gautam Roy, East Bengal’s Media Manager pointed out that such Workshops help Media Managers of all the Clubs maintain uniformity.
“We all perform certain tasks and our job profile is more or less similar. But uniformity is often not maintained and is not possible. We work according to our timetable. But meeting once in a while in such Workshops help immensely on deciding on certain parameters. Talk about the problems and solutions,” Roy quipped.
Kunaal Majgaonkar, Media Manager of JSW Sports, summed up the importance of Media and the Workshop perfectly.
“The fact that Media persons play a very important role in promoting a Club’s brand was very well documented in this Workshop. The fact that there was such a session is heartening. Such Workshops should happen regularly.”
Janice Lynrah, Media Manger of Shillong Lajong added: “The fact that we are getting to meet all other Club representatives is wonderful. Interactive sessions such as these make our work easier. We get to share ideas.”
Rangdajied’s Mr. Suraj Joshi and Mohammedan Sporting’s Zafar Ali Khan couldn’t make it to the Workshop.
The list of Media Officers who attended the Workshop are as follows:
Mr. Micky Aigner (Pune FC), Mr. Sandip Saha (United Sports), Ms. Elaine Colaco (Salgaocar SC), Mr. Imran Khan (Mohun Bagan), Souptikk Daas (Mumbai FC), Mr. Watson Fernandes (Churchill Brothers), Mr. Aldrid Da Costa (Sporting Clube de Goa), Ms. Janice Lynrah (Shillong Lajong FC), Mr. Abhijit Patil (Dempo SC), Mr. Gautam Roy (East Bengal), Mr. Ronak D. Dalal (Mumbai Tigers), Mr. Kunaal Majgaonkar (JSW Sports).
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