Airtel Rising Stars - Delhi: 132 Players Selected among 3,000 Participants

The Airtel Rising Stars programme, a nationwide under-16 soccer talent hunt, got off to an outstanding start in Delhi. In three days, approx. 3,000 young children participated at the city's Dr. Ambedkar Stadium to display their skill and convince the coaches of their talent.

All the participants showed tremendous potential, confidence and enthusiasm to prove their capability at the football camp. These young participants were divided into 6-player teams and they played 6-a-side matches on 1/3rd size of the football ground, officiated by professional referees.

The participants got an equal opportunity and time to demonstrate their skills. Parents, friends and mentors cheered all these footballers to play their best game. After the trials of three days, a total of 132 participants have been selected by officially certified and renowned coaches for the final selection camp in Delhi.

On the final day, Tuesday, three players will be chosen from these 132 selected participants, who will represent Delhi at the national level selection camp. These three players will be shortlisted purely on their talent and expertise. These include technical and tactical skills, physical and mental strength, communication, discipline, enthusiasm and fair play.

Spread over three months, the talent hunt will be conducted in 16 Indian cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Panaji, Kolkata, Bangalore, Calicut, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Shillong, Pune, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Chennai, Hyderabad and Jaipur, all with the support of the respective State and District Football Associations.

The best three players from each of the 16 cities will be picked to attend a final six-day camp-cum-selection trial conducted by coaches from Manchester United. 48 players will be divided into four teams of 12 each and will be tested on all parameters (including physical attributes, individual skills, match situations and their performances in actual matches) before 12 of the best players are chosen to travel to Manchester United for a week and to train alongside the Manchester United Academy team.

Launched in association with Manchester United), 'Airtel Rising Stars' is a rigorous scouting program that will cover 16 cities across India and choose 12 talented footballers who will get the chance-of-a-lifetime to attend a week long training camp with Manchester United in Old Trafford, England.