Tata Tiago School Football Championship Ends on a High!

The buzz of children milling about the grounds, parents cheering vociferously, ecstatic ‘dab’ celebrations, smiles, laughter and an irresistible sense of camaraderie – all brought together because of the opportunity to play good, competitive football in a safe environment. That’s what the Tata Tiago School Football Championship (SFC) has made possible over the past two years for children across India.

SFC 2017 Dab Celebration

Children celebrating their victory at SFC 2017

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Bengaluru FC Announces Launch of Residential Academy

As a part of their endeavour to promote elite football talents and train players from a young age, Bengaluru FC hosted a press conference earlier this week to announce their plans of setting up a residential academy at the JSW Township in Vijayanagar, Bellary. COO Mustafa Ghouse, CTO Mandar Tamhane and newly appointed Head of Youth Development, John Kila, spoke to the press from the club’s offices at Bangalore Football Stadium.

Bengaluru FC PressCon

JSW Bengaluru FC CTO Mandar Tamhane, Head of Youth Development John Kila, and COO Mustafa Ghouse
Source: Bengaluru FC Media

The club will scout for talent in Bengaluru, Kerala, Mizoram, Punjab and Chandigarh. Currently, they are only looking for youth in the Under-16 and Under-18 age categories. Those players who display exceptional talent during the first round of trials will be shortlisted, and will have to undergo a final selection, before the chosen candidates will relocate to the academy in Vijayanagar. At the academy, the selected youth will be provided with accommodation, education and nutrition at no cost with this fully-funded youth development programme overseen by Dutchman, John Kila.

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AFC Grassroots Football Day 2016: India Highlights

On May 15th, 2016, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) celebrated a very successful Grassroots Football Day. A number of member associations joined in the festivities, and India was not to be left out. Over the course of the day, numerous football festivals were held across the country, and impacted well over 10,000 young children. From New Delhi to Anantapur, and Manipur to Punjab, over 100 districts celebrated the joys of grassroots football.

Grassroots Football Day Registrations

Signing Up for AFC Grassroots Football Day
Source: ASA

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Tiki-Taka in Anantapur: Football Summer Camp 2016

With recent exposure to the I-League youth competition and visits from international players like Jofre Mateu, football has been on the rise in Anantapur. After a very progressive season, Anantapur Sports Academy (ASA) kicked off their annual summer football camp on May 1st. Held in collaboration with Spanish football club C. F. Santvicenti, the camp created an air of excitement amongst the kids and coaches, like it does every year. M P Ricard returned to this year’s ASA football summer camp for the third consecutive year to enjoy yet another immersive and educative experience with the children in Anantapur .

ASA Camp Team

The Team Before Kick-Off
Source: ASA

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Rajasthan Village Girls Find a Voice Through Football

Nothing much happened in the village of Merpur on the outskirts of Udaipur, Rajasthan. It was a quiet hamlet where school boys would play during lunch breaks while the girls wandered about. Worse still, the girls were extremely diffident, hesitant to speak and low on confidence. Rather than talking about studies and sports, girls as young as 14 would discuss marriage and some of their friends who were getting pregnant. That was until Padmini V, recipient of a 13-month SBI Youth for India Fellowship, showed up in town.

With the help of Laduram, the village sarpanch and Rohit Pandya, a physical trainer from Udaipur, Padmini has begun to use football to break gender stereotypes, give the girls an outlet to express themselves constructively, get fit and, most importantly, develop a sense of self-belief, confidence and direction.

Merpur Girls Football

Introducing Merpur Girls to Football
Source: Youth Ki Awaaz

Read more about Padmini’s excellent work here on Youth Ki Awaaz.

The Mutineers Debut Tornado Tournament – From Awadh to Delhi

Based out of Akbarpur in the Ambedkar Nagar district in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, the Awadh Mutineers’ story is as heart-warming as it is inspirational. Founded back in 2013, the Mutineers is Akbarpur’s only club. It was founded with the aim of promoting football in these parts, and to provide sports training and education to kids belonging to underprivileged backgrounds.

Over the course of two years, the club has fully supported the education and football training of twenty kids from different families across the city. Over this time, the children have gradually improved in the sport, and have even tasted success in local matches. This year however, the management felt it was time to test their talents outside of their hometown, and what better place for the next chapter of their story than the capital city of Delhi. The boys had never travelled outside their village, but being the confident and determined bunch that they are, they couldn’t wait!

Awadh Mutineers

The Awadh Mutineers
Source: Awadh Mutineers

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U15 Nike Premier Cup India Final Round Kicks Off

The last match of the U15 Youth League Zonal Phase concluded almost two months ago and we’re happy to report that the Final Round of the U15 League, now known as the Nike Premier Cup India, kicked off this morning in Goa. The top 12 teams from the Zonal Phase have been put into three groups and will play 18 matches over the next week. The top team from each group will secure their place in the semi-finals along with the best second placed team across all groups.

While these are all teams that have done well in the Zonal Phase, the level of competition will be significantly higher with past results counting for nothing. Everyone starts off on a clean slate and, still in its inaugural season despite the many challenges, the U15 Youth League is now coming to a head! The time has come for the boys to show their mettle.

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Football – The Dark Side of Hope

If you haven’t been living in a cave for the past 3 years, you’ll know full well about the terror and trauma that Syria and its people have suffered. But you probably haven’t heard what it is for a child to live in the war-ravaged country. UNICEF posted this haunting video about Saja, a 12-year-old girl, who lives in Aleppo, Syria.

In the video, Saja talks about how she has lost friends and a leg to the war. She speaks about her difficulty in making the long walk to school everyday, how she has no one to explain her schoolwork to her when she doesn’t understand things too well and her love for football. She says:

“I love playing football. When I play football, I don’t feel like I’ve lost anything at all.”

All Saja wants is something the majority of us have the privilege of enjoying for most of our lives – a bit of peace so that she doesn’t have to worry about family and friends coming back whenever they step out of their homes, a relaxed game of football to forget her worries, and a job as a gymnastics coach when she’s older.

“My wish for Syria’s future is that it goes back to the way it was. No more war. I hope that we can go out and know that we will come back safely, not go out and never return home, to live like we used to.”

We hope so too, Saja.

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All Set for Season 2 of the Reliance Foundation Young Champs Program

Apart from popularising football in the country, the Indian Super League (ISL) is doing a good job of encouraging clubs to invest in grassroots football. In 2015, the Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) initiative was kick-started as part of the ISL’s grassroots programme. The RFYC Program makes use of the ISL’s clubs’ grassroots initiatives to spot talented children from across the country between the ages of 11 and 14. The Foundation then offers the most talented and deserving children full-time residential scholarships to the Reliance Foundation School.

ATK RFYC Scouting

The RFYC Scouts with the Talents Picked by Atletico de Kolkata
Source: Indian Super League

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Atletico Madrid Coaches in Kolkata for ATK Academy Trials

Champions of the Indian Super League’s (ISLs) inaugural season, Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) have done splendid work over the past two years in promoting grassroots football in the city.  In 2015 they brought West Bengal’s Indian Football Association’s (IFA) Nursery League back to life. Although their second run in the league was not as successful as the first, the club is still doing what they can for the sport. Co-owners, Sanjiv Goenka and Utsav Parekh are both focused on setting up a football academy in the city and promoting the sport. At their proposed academy, bright young stars can focus on football training while continuing with their academics as well.

ATK Grassroots Youth

Eager Youth Attend ATK’s Grassroots Initiatives
Source: Atletico de Kolkata Facebook Page

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