VIDEO: Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa pledges Indian football development support!

The AFC presidential candidate Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain wants to support the development of Indian football and wants the beautful game in India to rival cricket's popularity.

VIDEO: Scott O'Donell Speaks @ Budweiser 6v6 Cup Delhi Regional

At the Delhi regionals of the Budweiser 6v6 they spoke to the AIFF Director of the Regional Academies Scott O'Donell about India, its football and development.

Maharashtra organises Grassroot football coaching course with AIFF & FIFA support

The Western India Football Association, the Maharashtra state body of football, is since Wednesday, April 17 organising a five-day grassroots football course to boost development of the game in the 6 to 12 age category.

29 coaches from nine districts across Maharashtra are participating in the course which is being held at the Cooperage Ground with WIFA organising it under the aegis of the All India Football Federation and world football governing body FIFA.

The participanting coaches are from the districts of Satara, Kolhapur, Pune, Osmanabad, Nagpur, Thane, Jalgaon, Solapur and Mumbai. They are being trained under the watchful eyes of FIFA Instructor Vincent Subramaniam and AIFF Grassroots Program Manager Suvrat Thatte.

The five day intensive course for grassroot coaches included theory and practical sessions.

"The primary objective of the programme is to attract more people towards football and popularise the game at grassroots level by providing opportunity to every child who is interested in playing football. This is an initiative that will go a long way in developing the game of football in the long run in Maharashtra," said WIFA Secretary Souter Vaz.

"The AIFF and Western India Football Association have taken utmost care to choose the candidates for this course. They would drive further the philosophy of grassroots football in every nook and corner of Maharashtra with many such courses all over the state," said WIFA CEO Henry Menezes.

The course will conclude on Sunday, April 21 with a football festival involving around 200 young footballers.

Mumbai Tiger FC owners Dodsal Group to bid for I-League Franchise

According to a report in the UAE-based Gulf News the Dodsal Group owned Mumbai Tigers FC, who are currently playing in the final round of the 2nd Division I-League, are set to bid for one of the I-League franchises that the AIFF has put out into the market.

Rajen Kilachand, the chairman of Dubai-based conglomerate Dodsal Group, told Gulf News when asked if he is bidding, "Of course, we are bidding. We have two choices, to ignore this route and play out the remainder of the second division, or, if accepted, we don't have to go through this process. Because if we don't make top two in the second division this season, we would have to wait a whole year again to go up."

As per the requirements of a successful bid for a new I-League franchise the newcomers will have to commit to build a stadium and run a club academy, which the Dodsal Group is willing to do with Navi Mumbai their likely destination for a stadium and training complex.

Mumbai Tiger FC a few months back were linked to former French international Mikael Silvestre, but Rajen Kilachand has his own philosophy on players for his club. "My philosophy is to combine players from Africa, the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) and India because at the end of the day the next 1,000 years of the planet belong to everything in this part of the world – the party in the West is over. The future Beckham's are all going to be here and the future is not 20 years from now it's two years down the road."

A confident approach by Rajen Kilachand and one thing looks to be certain. Mumbai Tigers FC will play I-League next season, be it through promotion or being awarded a Franchise.

AIFF’s Tender inviting New Clubs in I-League

The All India Football Federation today invited a tender notice inviting Bids for new Clubs to be a part of the I-League. The winning bidders will be granted the right to own and operate a new club which will compete in I-League in each year from 2013 onwards and have the opportunity (if applicable and subject to qualification) to compete in the AFC Club Competitions.

The invitation to tender will be available on Working Days between 10am and 5pm at AIFF Headquarters, Football House. All bidding parties need to fulfill the eligibility criteria (Club Licensing) and other requirements specified.

The last date for submission is May 2, 2013 (before 5pm IST). The bids would then be evaluated by a Technical Evaluation Committee following which the results would be announced within a week from the last date of submission.

"It is AIFF's endeavour to make the I-League strong and robust and for that it is imperative that clubs comply with the Licensing criteria specially with regard to infrastructure and Youth Development," AIFF General secretary Kushal Das stated. "It is with this objective in mind that we are allowing direct entry into the I-League so that good infrastructure and Youth Development Academies can be established," he added.

"This is in line with what was shared with prospective bidders in the two Open-House meetings which were held in Delhi and Dubai. We are confident of getting a very good response for the above," I-League CEO Sunando Dhar maintained.


Objective
AIFF wishes to induct new clubs in I-League. This RFP is being offered on open tender basis to those agencies/companies who meet the requirements of requisite skills and expertise.

Tender Fees
This RFP document should have been obtained by the bidder or lead bidder in the case of a Consortium, in their name, by paying INR 1,00,000.00 (Rupees one lakh only) to AIFF as non refundable tender document fees.

Contact Person
Shri Kushal Das, General Secretary
All India Football Federation, Football House, Sector-19, Phase-I, Dwarka, New Delhi-110075
Tel: +91-11-2804-1430/31/32/33/35 +91 95406 65290
Fax: +91-11-2804-1434
E-Mail: ileague@the-aiff.com

Scope of Work
The new clubs bidding for the direct entry into the I-League as part of this RFP shall undertake three essential activities:
a. creating/leasing stadia: Clubs get a timeframe of 5 years to build a new stadium. An annual review of the progress will be undertaken by AIFF against the timelines mentioned by the incumbent in their proposals. In case of non compliance the clubs may lose the non relegation immunity.

Other Requirements
The new clubs will be required to pay annual licence fees of INR 3 crores for the next five years.
The new clubs are to be registered as a separate company with Registrar of Companies of India within 45 days of award of contract.
The new clubs get immunity from relegation for a period of 3 years, subject to certain conditions. Thus they get to play I-League a minimum of 4 seasons.
Successful bidder having net worth more then 500 crores will be required to submit a corporate guarantee for ensuring all necessary support to the new entity in meeting its obligation as described in this RFP document.
Successful bidder having net worth less than 500 crores will be required to submit a bank guarantee of INR 100 crores. This will have to be provided within 45 days of a letter of Intent by AIFF.
Successful bigger will be required to submit Performance Bank Guarantee for INR 15 crores in the form of Bank Guarantee (BG). The validity of Bank guarantee will be five years from the date of incorporation of new entity. This will have to be provided within 45 days of a letter of Intent by AIFF.

FIFA opens bidding process for five competitions in 2016 & 2017, including 2017 Under-17 World Cup

World football governing body FIFA has been offering India to host the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, but due to numerous reasons the All India Football Federation and the Government of India have not been able to give necessary guarantees to FIFA which has led the world governing body to include the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup as part of the open bidding process for competitions in 2016 and 2017.

The AIFF is trying its best to be hosts of the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, but hasn't gotten the necessary government support which is needed to be a host of a FIFA event.

FIFA has opened the bidding process for five competitions in 2016 and 2017. The 209 member associations have been invited to submit their interest in hosting the FIFA U-20 and U-17 Women's World Cups in 2016, the FIFA U-20 and U-17 World Cups in 2017 and the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 2017.

The bidding timeline for these competitions requires the member associations who wish to host these events to submit a declaration of interest by 15 May 2013. The deadline to provide the hosting agreement with the complete Bid Book is 15 November 2013, with the final decision on the hosts currently scheduled to take place at the FIFA Executive Committee meeting in December 2013.


FIFA World Cups open for bidding

FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2016
The development of football for girls and women has long been one of FIFA’s top priorities. This is the “youngest” of FIFA’s competitions. A major milestone was reached in 2008 when the inaugural FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup was held in New Zealand, marking the first time ever that men and women had the same youth tournament structure in football. The creation of this event (with 16 teams) has encouraged member associations to further develop women’s football at youth level and to set up teams in even younger age groups. In addition, this tournament has enjoyed support from different sectors of society in its host countries. For example, the last edition of the tournament in Azerbaijan in 2012 was also a commercial success as four national companies, representing the main industries in the country, came on board as National Supporters of the tournament.

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2016
The popularity of women’s football has grown in leaps and bounds in recent years, as evidenced by the growing numbers participating in the game worldwide as well as the steadily rising spectator levels for women’s competitions, with the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Germany 2010 holding the attendance record of 395,295 spectators and achieving an average global in-home audience per live match of 2.8 million. This is the second most important women’s FIFA tournament and serves as a final stage of preparation for young players prior to the FIFA Women’s World Cup™.

FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017
The strengthening of youth football is another of FIFA’s top priorities with the aim of enabling young players to work towards the FIFA World Cup™ at senior level. Today, this biennial teenage tournament featuring 24 teams is an established event on the global football calendar and continues to serve as the launch pad for many illustrious football careers. It is the third oldest of FIFA’s competitions.

FIFA U-20 World Cup 2017
Like its younger brother, this youth tournament features 24 teams, making it the joint second largest FIFA event. Diego Maradona, Dunga, Marco van Basten and Lionel Messi all earned their international spurs at this competition, which has blossomed in size and impact since its inception in 1977. This significance is reflected in its growing appeal to spectators, with the 2011 edition enjoying a worldwide cumulative TV audience of over 500 million.

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2017
This World Cup is held every two years, and 2017 will be the ninth edition. Sixteen teams will participate in the final competition and one stadium will be required. The duration of the competition is approximately 10 to 12 days. The location of the venue should echo the sun, sea and sand of Copacabana beach, the birthplace of beach soccer.

India to organise 20 Grassroot Football Festivals

Twenty grassroots festivals will be organised by the All India Football Federation across the country in conjunction with the celebrations of the AFC Grassroots Year 2013 and Grassroots Day which falls on Wednesday, May 15.

The AIFF plans to hold the festivals in 20 districts to kick off simultaneously and to be conducted by Grassroots Leaders trained under the FIFA and AIFF grassroots programmes over the past year.

An AIFF Grassroots Course will also be held from May 20 to 24 in the state of Manipur to be managed by the All Manipur Football Association to celebrate AFC Grassroots Day.

The AIFF also aims to spread the grassroots programme to five states this year in collaboration with the respective state FAs. They will introduce the AIFF grassroots programme in each state through the grassroots centers and a comprehensive grassroots development plan to reach every district in the state. FIFA is also supporting the AIFF with a grassroots course in Mumbai this year.

The AFC has designated this year as the AFC Grassroots Year, aptly themed 'Let's Play!', and is encouraging Member Associations to organise activities to promote and emphasise that football is accessible and socially beneficial to everyone and that a strong foundation will allow players to progress to the elite level.

The AFC Grassroots Day on May 15 coincides with the International Family Day and will be celebrated throughout the week or other times suitable for the MAs.

The India Panel at the Soccerex European Forum

For a second year running the Soccerex European Forum gave a platform for Indian football to showcase itself on Thursday, April 11 afternoon with this years panel having the title 'Awakening Football's Sleeping Giant'.

The India session was moderated by Sukhvinder Singh, the Managing Director of Libero Sports India. The panelists taking part were Vivek Narayan (Director Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India), Rajpal Singh (Director Sports & Youth Affairs, FICCI), Kunal Dua (Head - Sports Marketing, Panasonic India) and Shirish Kulkarni (Executive Director – DSK Group, Owner of DSK Shivajians FC - Pune).

The aim of the session was to shed light on the Indian football market besides giving a positive outlook to the international football fraternity, whose most generic question has been for years, when will the 'Sleeping Giant' finally wake-up and be a player in the global football business.

That question could not be answered by the session, but one key statement came from Vivek Narayan when he said that the Government of India had received a new draft proposal from FIFA on hosting the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, which the world governing body would like us to host but for that certain regulations would need to be changed.

Rajpal Singh spoke about the role of FICCI as being a bridge between the government and sports federations, while also organising its own events as FICCI Turf and FICCI GOAL in bringing the different stakeholders together.

Kunal Dua spoke about what Panasonic India has done to activate football as a marketing tool, but also using Bollywood and Cricket stars for its promotion. He also spoke about what Indian football needs to do to attract further sponsorship.

Shirish Kulkarni spoke from a perspective of a team owner of a 2nd Division I-League club in DSK Shivajians FC, which gave a different insight then the other speakers and also some infos on the I-League Franchise expansion plan.

In the end the session gave a positive outlook though the problems became evident when the Q&A session was held and the people present asked the tough questions.

AIFF Regional Academy, Navi Mumbai to play GM Police on Saturday

Victorious in the last nine games, AIFF Regional Academy - Navi Mumbai will take on Greater Mumbai Police tomorrow in their next friendly match at the Fr. Agnel’s Ground, Navi Mumbai. The Police Outfit is currently competing in the Super Division of the Mumbai Football League.

AIFF Regional Academy's Head Coach Sajid Dar lavished huge praise on his boys saying they have shown a lot of 'character'.

"We have won nine games in a row and the boys have shown a lot of character – especially to come back from behind in a couple of games. We need to remember that in such a developmental programme, results are not that important," Sajid told AIFF Media.

"The inspiring part stays that the boys have been playing against teams which are physically and mentally much stronger than them. All of their opponents are much superior outfits who have been competing and doing incredibly well in their Super and Elite Division matches in Mumbai," he added.

Former India International Aqeel Ansari, the Assistant Coach maintained, "GM Police are a good team. They boast of a lot of experienced players. We look forward to our boys to implement the tactics which are being stressed upon in training."

The kick-off tomorrow is at 4.30pm.


Last Five Results
AIFF Academy 2–1 RCF Sports Club
AIFF Academy 8-0 Indian Cultural League
AIFF Academy 5–0 Income Tax
AIFF Academy 2–1 RCF Sports Club
AIFF Academy 3-2 PIFA, Colaba

(Report & Photo courtesy AIFF Media)

AIFF's U-15 Regional Academy extend winning streak to nine matches

The AIFF's Under-15 Regional Academy based in Navi Mumbai extended their winning streak to nine matches as they beat another Mumbai Division outfit Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers (RCF) 2-1 in the return-leg fixture of their friendly hosted at the Fr. Agnel's Ground, Navi Mumbai.

Rakesh Oram and Delbert Fernandes scored in each half to ensure they notch up a remarkable double against their much more fancied opponents. The previous encounter played at the RCF Grounds in Chembur ended with an identical score-line.

Winger Oram opened the scoring as early as the fifth minute with a trademark run down the left flank followed by a cool finish in a one-on-one situation with the opposition keeper. The RCF players, still reeling from the previous loss on their home turf three weeks ago, had reinforced their line-up with fresh faces but still struggled to make any inroads into the final third courtesy of a very sturdy defensive performance by the Academy boys in the first half.

Post the breather and following Head Coach Sajid Dar's six substitutions, the boys took control of the game with midfielders Hayden Fernandes and Jayson Lucas dictating terms in the middle of the pitch and full backs Kapil Boro and Situ Basumatary providing some much needed width on the flanks with their tireless running and crosses into the box.

The second goal came in the 65th minute with defender Gursimat Singh Gill's precise long ball from the halfway-line was intelligently chested down by Indermohan Singh Hundal and into the path of on-rushing striker Delbert Fernandes who blasted the ball into the back of the net. RCF pulled one back in the 90th minute but it was all too little too late.


Last Five Results

AIFF U-15 Regional Academy 2–1 RCF Sports Club

AIFF U-15 Regional Academy 8–0 Indian Cultural League

AIFF U-15 Regional Academy 5–0 Income Tax

AIFF U-15 Regional Academy 2–1 RCF Sports Club

AIFF U-15 Regional Academy 3-2 PIFA Colaba

(Report & Photo courtesy AIFF Media)

New AIFF Technical, Coaching & Development Committee formed, Baichung as chairman

A few weeks ago it was reported that former India captain Baichung Bhutia has been given the role of chairman of the AIFF Technical, Coaching & Development Committee by the national federation; a body which has been defunct for a number of years.

Baichung Bhutia has replaced former AIFF vice-president C.R. Viswanathan as the committee's chairman, while former Goa Football Association secretary Savio Messias has been appointed vice-chairman of the AIFF Technical, Coaching & Development Committee.

Other members of the committee are former Indian international footballers Parminder Singh, Prasun Banerjee and Henry Menezes along with official Lalnghinglova Hmar of Mizoram.

The new AIFF Technical, Coaching & Development Committee has been appointed for a term from 2013 to 2016.

IPFCA to submit I-League proposals to the AIFF

The member clubs of the I-League Professional Football Clubs Association (IPFCA) met yesterday in Vasco, Goa to discuss their next course of action and issues of mutual interest to the member clubs playing in the I-League.

The I-League Professional Football Clubs Association is made-up of 13 of the 14 participating teams of the top tier I-League with only the AIFF Developmental side, the Pailan Arrows, not being part of the club association as they aren't a proper football club.

The meeting was chaired by the IPFCA president Raj Gomes, who is the secretary of the Salgaocar FC, in the presence of the member clubs with IPFCA Secretary Chirag Tanna of Pune FC moderating the meeting.

After the meeting Raj Gomes told Goan newspaper Herald, "We dwelt on the I-league format for next season, Second Division I-league, grassroots and youth development, infrastructure, licensing criteria, marketing, broadcasting and several issues which are needed to be taken up stage-wise for raising the standard of Indian football when the I-League clubs are investing in crores. We also discussed on ways and means of making football a pan-Indian affair, rather than just being concentrated in few states like Goa and Bengal. Ultimately we need to work to make football a golden product."

"We will submit the report to the AIFF as we are partners in the development of football and work together, since the goal is the same. Football has to be run as business and we have to develop our own model which will spread the game throughout the country so that each state thrown its own home grown heroes which can then be exported, something which is not happening now," Raj Gomes added.

AIFF Open House Meeting to be held tomorrow in Dubai

The All India Football Federation's second Open House meeting to secure a minimum of two Football Clubs on board for the next edition of the I-League will be held at the Ritz Carlton hotel, DIFC in Dubai tomorrow. The meeting will be chaired by AIFF President Praful Patel. The earlier Open House meeting was held at AIFF Football House on March 5.

The meeting, being hosted by the AIFF will bring to the fore the Governing Body's expectations from the new clubs, interact with potential participants, share ideas and invite suggestions from interested parties.

AIFF President Praful Patel sounds confident the initiative will "take Indian Football to a larger Global Audience".

"In keeping with AIFF's mission of promoting Indian football to a larger Global Audience, this is a vital step being taken to adopt additional teams and invest in our youth," Praful Patel said.

"By inviting participation from regional investors and offering them a sound investment opportunity, we are certain we will be able to raise the brand value of the I-League, evolving it to become a truly futuristic and versatile tournament," he added.

The AIFF would formally invite open tenders and expressions of interest by qualified investors to set-up and operate the clubs. Winning bidders of the tender will be able to set-up and operate new football clubs which compete from the I-League season 2013/14 and beyond.

The opportunity to set-up new football clubs also carries an incentive for investors to invest in the youth and develop the infrastructure necessary to create a State-of-the-Art environment where the youth can be engaged, football teams can be developed and the sport can be promoted.

(Report & Photo courtesy AIFF Media)

Soccerex - India Panel: Awakening Football's Sleeping Giant

The Soccerex European Forum 2013 will be held on April 10/11 with leading figures of European and world football gathering in Manchester, England. And once again India will be on the agenda with an 'Football's Growth Markets' workshop solely focusing on Indian football going to be held on the second day of the Forum.

As someone who has been to a number of Soccerex conventions and forums, I know that India has been on the agenda of the Soccerex organisers for many, many years and they have given Indian football a global platform.

This time the India workshop is being hosted by Soccerex in conjunction with the Federation of Industrial Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Libero Sports (official Soccerex representatives in India).

The session will feature senior representatives from the key stakeholders involved in the development of Indian football. It will focus on the strategies and programmes currently in place as well as India's vision for football at both a domestic and international level.

Amongst the speakers will be Kushal Das (General Secretary, All India Football Federation), Pradeep Deb (Secretary of Sports, Government of India), Rajpal Singh (Director, Sports, Federation of Industrial Chambers of Commerce and Industry), Kunal Dua (Head, Sports Marketing, Panasonic India), Shirish Kulkarni (Owner, DSK Shivajians FC) and Sukhvinder Singh (Managing Director, Libero Sports India).

AIFF to organise prospective I-League Investors meeting in Dubai on Saturday

After a successful first of its kind AIFF organised Open House Meeting for induction of two new I-League Clubs in New Delhi on March 5, a follow-up meeting for prospective foreign investors and European clubs will be held in Dubai on Saturday, April 6.

AIFF president Praful Patel after the first meeting was extremely confident that a minimum of two corporate-backed clubs will help raise the standard of the I-League significantly in place of PSUs (public sector units) teams ONGC and Air India, who will be relegated at the end of the season due to not fulfilling the AFC Club Licencing criteria for several seasons.

AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das told Gulf News that an attempt to "attract corporates with football vision" was being made to revive the game in India and provide the sport with a much-needed shake-up.

The Dubai prospective I-League investors meet was originally planned for last weekend, but it was postponed and will now be held on Saturday, April 6 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in DIFC from 4 to 6pm local Dubai time.

As per information coming out of Dubai there is quite some interest in setting-up a new team in the I-League with at least 15 corporate groups already registering to attend the prospective I-League Investors meet.

The background of the interested investors is currently not known.

AIFF's Navi Mumbai U-15 Academy rout another Mumbai Super Division team

The AIFF's Navi Mumbai Regional Academy breezed past Mumbai Super Division outfit Indian Cultural League, this time 8-0 in a friendly match at the Father Agnel Sports Complex in Vashi. This is the Academy's eighth consecutive victory against an second tier Mumbai Super Division outfits.

Playing friendly matches every weekend stays a part of the Curriculum of the U-15 Academy which is based at the Father Agnel School premises in Navi Mumbai.

Despite many of the first-team players being rested, the Academy boys scored at regular intervals against one of the oldest and most decorated clubs of Mumbai. Indian Cultural League (ICL) are former winners of Kolkata's prestigious IFA Shield and are currently in the Super Division of the Mumbai Football League.

Midfielder Hayden Fernandes opened the scoring in the 9th minute placing the ball into the far corner before Prasanth doubled the lead two minutes later with an emphatic finish from close range. Rakesh Oram latched onto a loose ball to make it 3-0 in the 18th minute.

Winger Suman Sarkar, making a return to the playing XI following a lengthy injury lay-off, put in an commendable performance on the flanks, notching up a well-deserved brace. A tap-in by Sarkar in the 24th minute was followed by a penalty conversion in the 39th, ensuring that the team went into the half-time break with a comfortable 5-0 lead.

Changing over, Gursimrat Singh Gill volleyed in the team's sixth goal in the 68th minute and then Bidyananda Singh added the seventh in the 73rd with a thunderous twenty yard strike. The rout was completed in stoppage time when Robinson's Singh back-flicked a long ranger into the net.

(Report & Photo courtesy AIFF Media)

2nd Division I-League: Complete Preliminary Round Results!

The three 2nd Division I-League preliminary round groups comprising of 26 teams was played from March 9 to 27, 2013 across the country with the top two clubs from each group reaching the final round, while from there two teams will gain promotion to the next edition of the I-League.

The 2nd Division I-League's Final round will be played as a double header in Bangalore and Kerala and it will see Langsning FC, Rangdajied United FC, Mohammedan Sporting Club, Bhowanipore Club, Southern Samity and Mumbai Tigers FC in action.


Preliminary Round Results

Group A (Singrauli)
Delhi United Soccer Club, DSK Shivajians FC (Pune), George Telegraph SC (Kolkata), Kenkre FC (Mumbai), KGF Academy (Bangalore), Kohima Komets (Nagaland), Langsning FC (Shillong), Rangdajied United FC (Shillong), Samaleshwari Sporting Club (Orissa)

09-Mar-2013: Samaleshwari SC 1-1 KGF Academy
09-Mar-2013: DSK Shivajians 3-2 Rangdajied United FC
09-Mar-2013: George Telegraph SC 1-2 Kenkre FC
09-Mar-2013: Kohima Komets 0-7 Langsning FC
11-Mar-2013: Delhi United Soccer Club 1-0 Samaleshwari SC
11-Mar-2013: KGF Academy 1-0 DSK Shivajians
11-Mar-2013: Rangdajied United FC 1-0 George Telegraph SC
11-Mar-2013: Kenkre FC 3-1 Kohima Komets
13-Mar-2013: Langsning FC 0-0 Kenkre FC
13-Mar-2013: DSK Shivajians 1-1 Delhi United Soccer Club
13-Mar-2013: Kohima Komets 0-3 Rangdajied United FC
13-Mar-2013: George Telegraph SC 1-3 KGF Academy
15-Mar-2013: Rangdajied United FC 0-1 Langsning FC
15-Mar-2013: KGF Academy 1-1 Kohima Komets
15-Mar-2013: Delhi United Soccer Club 0-1 George Telegraph SC
15-Mar-2013: Samaleshwari SC 0-1 DSK Shivajians
17-Mar-2013: George Telegraph SC 5-0 Samaleshwari SC
17-Mar-2013: Kenkre FC 1-2 Rangdajied United FC
17-Mar-2013: Langsning FC 4-0 KGF Academy
17-Mar-2013: Kohima Komets 0-3 Delhi United Soccer Club
19-Mar-2013: KGF Academy 2-2 Kenkre FC
19-Mar-2013: DSK Shivajians 2-1 George Telegraph SC
19-Mar-2013: Samaleshwari SC 2-0 Kohima Komets
19-Mar-2013: Delhi United Soccer Club 2-3 Langsning FC
21-Mar-2013: Rangdajied United FC 3-1 KGF Academy
21-Mar-2013: Langsning FC 1-0 Samaleshwari SC
21-Mar-2013: Kenkre FC 1-1 Delhi United Soccer Club
21-Mar-2013: Kohima Komets 0-5 DSK Shivajians
23-Mar-2013: George Telegraph SC 1-2 Kohima Komets
23-Mar-2013: Samaleshwari SC 1-2 Kenkre FC
23-Mar-2013: DSK Shivajians 1-1 Langsning FC
23-Mar-2013: Delhi United Soccer Club 0-5 Rangdajied United FC
25-Mar-2013: Langsning FC 3-1 George Telegraph SC
25-Mar-2013: Kenkre FC 1-2 DSK Shivajians
25-Mar-2013: Rangdajied United FC 2-0 Samaleshwari SC
25-Mar-2013: KGF Academy 0-0 Delhi United Soccer Club

Group B (Indore)
Aizwal FC (Mizoram), Aryan Club (Kolkata), Bhowanipore Club (Kolkata), Green Valley SC (Guwahati), Josco FC (Kerala), Mohammedan Sporting Club (Kolkata), PIFA (Mumbai), Royal Wahingdoh FC (Shillong), Simla Youngs FC (Delhi)

09-Mar-2013: Simla Youngs FC 2-3 PIFA, Mumbai
09-Mar-2013: Green Valley SC 1-1 Aizawl FC
09-Mar-2013: Mohammedan Sporting Club 2-1 Royal Wahingdoh FC
09-Mar-2013: Aryan Club 0-1 Bhowanipore Club
11-Mar-2013: PIFA, Mumbai 2-1 Green Valley SC
11-Mar-2013: Bhowanipore Club 1-0 Simla Youngs FC
11-Mar-2013: Royal Wahingdoh FC 2-0 Aryan Club
11-Mar-2013: Josco FC 1-2 Mohammedan Sporting Club
13-Mar-2013: Aryan Club 2-3 Josco FC
13-Mar-2013: Simla Youngs FC 0-5 Royal Wahingdoh FC
13-Mar-2013: Green Valley SC 0-2 Bhowanipore Club
13-Mar-2013: Aizawl FC 3-2 PIFA, Mumbai
15-Mar-2013: Bhowanipore Club 2-1 Aizawl FC
15-Mar-2013: Royal Wahingdoh FC 4-0 Green Valley SC
15-Mar-2013: Josco FC 1-2 Simla Youngs FC
15-Mar-2013: Mohammedan Sporting Club 0-0 Aryan Club
17-Mar-2013: Aizawl FC 2-1 Royal Wahingdoh FC
17-Mar-2013: Green Valley SC 0-3 Josco FC
17-Mar-2013: Simla Youngs FC 0-5 Mohammedan Sporting Club
17-Mar-2013: PIFA, Mumbai 1-3 Bhowanipore Club
19-Mar-2013: Royal Wahingdoh FC 2-0 PIFA, Mumbai
19-Mar-2013: Josco FC 0-3 Aizawl FC
19-Mar-2013: Mohammedan Sporting Club 1-0 Green Valley SC
19-Mar-2013: Aryan Club 4-0 Simla Youngs FC
21-Mar-2013: Green Valley SC 1-2 Aryan Club
21-Mar-2013: PIFA, Mumbai 0-1 Josco FC
21-Mar-2013: Aizawl FC 0-1 Mohammedan Sporting Club
21-Mar-2013: Bhowanipore Club 0-3 Royal Wahingdoh FC
23-Mar-2013: Josco FC 0-2 Bhowanipore Club
23-Mar-2013: Mohammedan Sporting Club 1-0 PIFA, Mumbai
23-Mar-2013: Aryan Club 2-0 Aizawl FC
23-Mar-2013: Simla Youngs FC 2-4 Green Valley SC
25-Mar-2013: Aizawl FC 5-4 Simla Youngs FC
25-Mar-2013: PIFA, Mumbai 0-4 Aryan Club
25-Mar-2013: Bhowanipore Club 1-1 Mohammedan Sporting Club
25-Mar-2013: Royal Wahingdoh FC 0-0 Josco FC

Group C (Bangalore)
Mumbai Tigers (formerly Dodsal FC, Mumbai), Eagles FC (Kerala), Hindustan FC (Delhi), Kalighat Milan Sangha (Kolkata), Luangmual FC (Mizoram), South United FC (Bangalore), Southern Samity (Kolkata), Vasco SC (Goa)

11-Mar-2013: Vasco SC 1-1 Southern Samity
11-Mar-2013: South United FC 3-4 Luangmual FC
12-Mar-2013: Hindustan FC 0-1 Kalighat Milan Sangha
12-Mar-2013: Mumbai Tigers 1-1 Eagles FC
13-Mar-2013: Vasco SC 1-0 South United FC
14-Mar-2013: Southern Samity 1-0 Eagles FC
14-Mar-2013: Kalighat Milan Sangha 1-2 Mumbai Tigers
15-Mar-2013: Luangmual FC 0-2 Hindustan FC
17-Mar-2013: Mumbai Tigers 4-2 Luangmual FC
16-Mar-2013: Eagles FC 1-5 Kalighat Milan Sangha
17-Mar-2013: Hindustan FC 0-2 Vasco SC
16-Mar-2013: South United FC 0-1 Southern Samity
18-Mar-2013: Southern Samity 2-1 Kalighat Milan Sangha
19-Mar-2013: Luangmual FC 1-3 Eagles FC
19-Mar-2013: Vasco SC 0-1 Mumbai Tigers
20-Mar-2013: South United FC 2-0 Hindustan FC
21-Mar-2013: Eagles FC 0-1 Vasco SC
21-Mar-2013: Kalighat Milan Sangha 8-0 Luangmual FC
22-Mar-2013: Mumbai Tigers 3-1 South United FC
22-Mar-2013: Hindustan FC 0-2 Southern Samity
23-Mar-2013: Vasco SC 2-1 Kalighat Milan Sangha
24-Mar-2013: South United FC 4-0 Eagles FC
24-Mar-2013: Southern Samity 1-1 Luangmual FC
25-Mar-2013: Hindustan FC 0-2 Mumbai Tigers
26-Mar-2013: Kalighat Milan Sangha 2-2 South United FC
26-Mar-2013: Luangmual FC 0-2 Vasco SC
27-Mar-2013: Eagles FC 2-2 Hindustan FC
27-Mar-2013: Mumbai Tigers - Southern Samity

AIFF Navi Mumbai Academy win 5-0 against Mumbai Super Division side

The AIFF's Navi Mumbai Regional Academy breezed past Mumbai Super Division outfit Income Tax SC 5-0 in a practice match at the Father Agnel Sports Complex in Vashi.

The deadlock was broken barely seconds into the game when winger Rakesh Oram capitalised on a defensive lapse and crossed into the box for an ice-cool striker Stany Braganca to slot home. The Academy boys made it 2-0 in the 32th minute when midfielder Milan Basumatary made amends for a missed penalty a minute earlier with a delightful cross to the far post which was met by a thunderous half-volley by Oram. The winger doubled his tally three minutes later when he followed Robinson Singh's through ball, beat the off-side trap and placed it past the rival goalkeeper to make it 3-0. Bidyananda Singh's tap-in at the stroke of half-time ensured that the boys went into the break with a comfortable 4-0 lead.

The rout was completed in the 62nd minute by midfielder Hayden Fernandes as his powerful shot from around 40 yards left the keeper with no chance. It ended 5-0 for the AIFF Navi Mumbai Regional Academy against the second tier Mumbai side Income Tax SC.

The game also marked the return of Suman Sarkar to competitive play after his knee surgery last month.

(Report & Photo courtesy AIFF Media)

Inaugural Goa International Football Table 2013 a big success - Part 2!

Day two of the inaugural Goa International Football Table was an action-packed day full of insightful presentations and seminars focusing on various aspects of Goan and Indian football. Eminent speakers from the Indian and international football fraternity shared their views and discussed solutions on how to make football a more recognized sport in our country.

Listed below is a brief summary of every session conducted at today's summit

Efficient use of stadium infrastructure
The day began with an astute presentation by Paul Fletcher, ex-CEO of Burnley FC, on the 'Efficient use of stadium infrastructure'. Mr. Fletcher not only gave an insight and thoughtful understanding about the infrastructure for football stadiums in England, but also highlighted the importance of how India needs to investigate and learn from their mistakes to help develop good and effective stadium infrastructure in India.

According to Paul Fletcher, who played for Burnley, Bolton Wanderers and FC Blackpool, the Three Buzz Words required for proper infrastructure were: Legacy, Community and Revenue. "While building infrastructure, do not forget to build the people," he said.

Talent Development: Goa, the catalyst & gateway to Indian football success
Asian Football Confederation - Coach education head Mohamed Basir in his presentation briefed the audience on the concept of Talent Development and its importance in football.
Stressing on aspects such as Nature or Nurture, Chance or Design and Quantity or Quality, he spoke about how Goa could be a model state in the field of football. In conclusion, he appealed to football lovers present to remain unified, as in the long run it is this unity which is crucial for the upliftment of Indian football.

Then I took over the panel discussion in which Henry Menezes, CEO of the Western India Football Association, focused on building players and creating pathways for them. He said, "We have to understand whether we need to 'build' players or 'buy' players."

Salgaocar FC secretary Raj Gomes gave a brief understanding of talent development strategies at his club; while Kenny Moyes, Managing Director - Libero Professional Pre-Season Tours Ltd spoke about the participation and consistency of the players towards the sport.

Mariano Baretto, of Goan origin and a UEFA Pro license coach, believes that different opportunities help in shaping young football players' careers. "Our world has produced many fantastic players such as Roonie, Messi and Ronaldo who have contributed towards the sports success and recognition worldwide," said Mariano.

Community Development: Sports (Football) - The simple upliftment of society
Kushal Das, AIFF General Secretary, spoke about the FIFA Football for Hope program, its principle being, "Keeping Communities Connected." He also mentioned about the success of the Goalz Project in Kolkata launched in 2012 as it engaged not only the community but also the local police force.
"Sports, especially football is inspirational and has a global reach. It also teaches us the values of life," Das said.

P.K. Mukherjee, MD of Vedanta SESA FA spoke about football being a community game and stated that theGoa Football Development Council (GFDC) should become the Indian Football Development Council (IFDC) in the future.
"Football is a performing art and can be developed only with passion," says Mukherjee.

According to Sports commentator and writer Novy Kapadia, "Football is Goa's identity." He believes that although Indian football has not been very successful, it does have a long history.

Ajay Shetty, Head training and accreditation, Magic Bus along with Peter Vaz, Sporting Clube de Goa president, had a similar viewpoint on how AIFF needed to show more support towards the development of football. Ajay Shetty further went on to give a brief insight on the working of Magic Bus.

Peter Vaz also added that there were lack of stadiums, which according to him should be small with good road connectivity, and that government associations should be revived towards the upliftment of the sport.

Marketing & Sponsorship: When Football meets Moneyball
The GIFT had a panel discussion on the topic 'Marketing and Sponsorship' in football with Radhakrishnan Sreenivasan, Sports Editor and Senior presenter of Neo Sports, moderating the session which gave a distinguishing aspect between cricket and football.

Keynote speaker for the session, Hass Aminian, Director of New Business Development at Sportfive International (Asia), in his presentation 'When football meets Moneyball' proposed some of the marketing strategies that could enhance the football market. Mr. Aminian, in his presentation gave examples of the English and Spanish models.
Aminian also pointed some of the drawbacks in Indian football. He said that Indians lack participation in any major sports, secondly that dominance in India is linked to national team performance and not at local level and thirdly that India lacks infrastructure to host major events.

"Stop taking steps, look for an elevator," stated, Chairman and Co-founder of Taproot, Agnello Dias. According to him, the Goa Football Association should promote football amongst the people who are interested in the sport rather than the ones already playing.

Valanka Alemao, Churchill Brothers CEO, pointed out that although Bollywood and Cricket has a national front, football still continues to be popular even among Indians. She put forward her opinion about how we needed to package Indian football better to make it more attractive. "Football is the most expensive and attractive ball," she added.

CEO of Sportskeeda Porush Jain stated, "The Indian economy is continuously growing, for the betterment of Indian football, the exploitation of the Indian market is necessary."

Rajesh Kharabanda, CEO of Nivia-Freewill Sports Pvt. Ltd. added to the discussion by suggesting that in order to increase revenue, the clubs needed to increase their fan base.

The Professionals: Upgrading our Competition to Export Stars
GIFT's final session on 'The Professional' began with a presentation by the keynote speaker, R. Sasikumar, Ex-Captain of the Singapore football team, and MD of Red Card Group. Sasikumar in his presentation on 'Upgrading our competition to export stars' gave an example of Japan's rise on the football ground mentioning their 100 years plan 2012.
He also introduced the heroes that changed the face of Spanish and Japanese football. He focused on the need for more I-Leagues that would lead to the success of the national teams. He felt that India needed to invest and commit more economy in a footballer - the parents, clubs, agents and federations. To conclude his presentation he stated, "India needs more players."

Team India coach Wim Koevermans stood-up and appealed to the audience to take inspiration from the Nike logo "Just do it". "You build the best, bring the best and play against the best" said Wim in context to building professionals.

Meanwhile Srinivas Dempo, AIFF Vice-President, GFA and Dempo president, while talking about building professional players, pointed out that in the past 10 years, India has witnessed change but there is still a need for rapid change.

Joshua Lewis, CEO of Kenkre Football Academy, focused on grassrooot level planning and development of player professionalism.

The Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony of the Goa International Football Table was held on Saturday afternoon in the presence of Dr. Rufino Monteiro and the chief guest, Francis D'Souza, deputy CM of Goa.

The closing ceremony began with the sum-up of the two day summit by Udit Sheth - MD & CEO TransStadia, the knowledge partners of GFDC. Followed by the concluding address by Dr. Monteiro in which he thanked all the speakers and delegates and all the exemplary players whilst promising to make the summit an annual event and show-case the progress in the GFDC endeavour taking valuable inputs from the seminar. He acknowledged the participation of the Bollywood star, Suniel Shetty and current India skipper, Sunil Chhetri during the parade held earlier in the day.

The ceremony followed with a speech by the chief guest, wherein he commented on the efforts put in by the GFDC towards popularizing football. "Rufino Monteiro is on a very serious mission and will take the right step in the right direction to achieve success."

Thereafter the 1978 National School Games gold medalist team was then felicitated - the Manager…John Viegas, Baptist Fernandes, Peter Miranda, Ignacious Dias, Sarto Baptista, Agnelo Fonseca, Joseph Cardozo, Tadeo Barretto, William Machado, Caitano D'Souza, Caitano D'Souza and the captain, Edmund Mascarenhas who was overwhelmed that their heroics in the freezing cold of Srinagar were finally recognised by the government through GFDC.

The function concluded with the vote of thanks by Kennedy D'Silva - Executive Secretary of the Goa Football Development Council.

Inaugural Goa International Football Table 2013 a big success - Part 1!

The inaugural Goa International Football Table was held on March 15/16 at the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa. The two day summit focused on various aspects of football such as infrastructure of football at the grassroot level, general Indian Football Development, Creating a New Sport: Beach Soccer, Efficient Use of Stadium Infrastructure, Talent Development, Community Development, Marketing and Sponsorship and Upgrading our Competition.

The first half of the session kicked off with an introduction by host Sonali Chander wherein the moderator, Stanislaus D'Souza introduced the panelists - Dr. Robin Petersen, Rajeev Piramal, Jovito Lopes and Sioulas Anastasios for the session. Mr. Petersen, CEO of South African Football Development Agency & Ex-CEO South African Football Association gave a brief introduction and background to the South African football scenario.

"Football has an incredible power to unite countries and to achieve success in football, funds had to be created along with business, government and football partners. This success would change the nation forever," Peterson said.

He shared the technical master plan of South Africa 2022 in which he said it would create a virtuous cycle of success and would unite the nation for national pride.

Rajeev Piramal, Owner of Pune FC and also the Vice-Chairman and MD of Peninsula Land Ltd., in his opening statement said, "There is lot to learn from the SAFA but at the end of the day, they are our competitors." He also stressed on the development of infrastructure justifying that infrastructure does not only mean good grounds and good facilities but also good coaches and good medical facilities.

Sioulas Anastasios, coach of Sesa Football Academy, stressed on the need for the development at the base level; while the Sports Editor of the Herald newspaper, Jovito Lopes stated that one of the reason for failure of football grabbing most eyeballs is the large fan loyalty to the international clubs rather than Indian clubs. He also said that not only the government support, but also Private Public Partnership (PPP) would help in the development of Football in India.

Thereafter Scott O'Donell (AIFF National Academies Technical Director) in his presentation, stressed on the development of football at the grassroot level. With context to this, he said that "This should have started 20 years back." He also proposed the Grassroot development plan for football in India.

Then the Goan Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in his brief address spoke about football in a nutshell. With a sporty spirit he said, "Football gets you through life besides work."

Dr. Rufino Monteiro, Chairman of the Goa Football Development Council, expressed his gratitude towards the Honorable Chief Minister for his dedication and commitment in making football the official sport of the state, not just in words but also in action. "Football is not a fashion statement but it's about passionate dedication towards the sport," he said.

He further said that "Goa's aim is to produce good players and that GFDC is working towards it. Studies done in Indian cities reveal that football now attracts three times as many viewers as cricket, more so because today's youth want a fast, exciting game and 90 minutes of football ideally fits into their hectic lifestyle. A Nielsen survey in 2010 found that 47% of India's over 1.2 billion population described themselves as football fans. Interestingly, football also attracts the second highest sports sponsorship in India, out-ranking tennis, badminton, boxing, wrestling and athletics where India boasts of world class athletes, some even champions. There is so much to do to develop football in India."

The session ended with the launch of the Draft Goa Football Policy and the GFDC publication, which many hope will take Goan and Indian football onto the next level.

More in part two about the second day of the inaugural Goa International Football Table.