New Delhi: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has unveiled its ambitious plans to establish a comprehensive three-stage talent scouting structure across India for its groundbreaking FIFA-AIFF Talent Academy. In collaboration with the Indian Ministry of Education and FIFA, the federation aims to integrate the innovative ‘Football 4 School’ program as a crucial pathway for identifying, scouting, and recruiting talent for the ‘FIFA-AIFF Talent Academy.’
AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey, accompanied by FIFA High-Performance Expert Ged Roddy and Philippe Senderos, met with Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Education & Skill Development in Delhi. The objective was to present the blueprint and seek the Ministry’s support in ensuring connectivity to even the remotest schools in rural India.
The AIFF’s blueprint, designed to prepare India’s future squad for FIFA U17 World Cup events, intends to establish a systematic process for identifying the best talents available for its FIFA-AIFF Talent Academy on an annual basis.
To cover the vast geographical expanse of India, the national federation proposes integrating the Football 4 School program into its Talent Development Scheme. The plan is to reach every school through the nodal agency Navodayalya.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan expressed confidence in the program, stating, “The FIFA-AIFF plan is exciting and something never attempted before at this scale. The Football 4 School program has already been introduced in 5 states, and we wish to take it to every school, every student, and every PE teacher. I’m confident that the integration of Football 4 School as a talent scouting platform for the Academy will be successful with the commitment of FIFA, AIFF, and the Ministry of Education.”
AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey thanked Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for the assured support, emphasizing the importance of a pan-India scouting program. The goal is to reach every 12-13-year-old talent and nurture homegrown skills. Minister Pradhan has shown keen interest in the proposal and pledged full support.
The ongoing Football 4 School program has been introduced in four states and one union territory, covering 8985 schools out of its targeted 155,192 schools identified by the Ministry of Education. The first phase roll-out occurred in Odisha and Maharashtra, covering 4561 and 2153 schools, respectively, along with Gujarat (2016 schools), Goa (103 schools), and DNH&DD (107 schools).
Chaubey highlighted the competitive module in the scouting process, citing State U13 tournaments and AIFF U13 National Championships as benchmarks for talent identification. The inaugural FIFA-AIFF Talent Academy in Bhubaneswar plans to intake 40-50 of the best-scouted talents annually over the next three years, ensuring a continuous influx of scouting in the U13, U14, and U15 age categories.
Furthermore, AIFF is exploring opportunities to establish five additional Talent Academies in India. A combined FIFA-AIFF delegation is set to visit existing academies in India by mid-March.
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