NEW DELHI: The All India Football Federation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education Society (SMSES) to promote youth football, in a function held in New Delhi, on Wednesday, August 2, 2023.
Both the AIFF and the SMSES will benefit from this MoU that will see the prestigious Subroto Cup, an inter-school football tournament, being raised to newer heights.
AIFF Secretary General Dr Shaji Prabhakaran said, “Collaborating with the Subroto Cup is another decision to further strengthen our youth football structure and that way, our schools will be much more integrated into the competitive football structure in India. This collaboration between the Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education
Society and the AIFF will bring a lot of positive changes in the organisation and overall impact of the Subroto Cup, which will make a big change in the youth football ecosystem in the larger scheme of things.
“It will encourage more schoolgirls to be a part of football and also help us scout new talents from the Subroto Cup, which would further motivate more schoolchildren to be a part of the game. Overall, this historic day for Indian Football and for Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education Society is going to be a significant moment,” said
Dr Prabhakaran.
Air Vice-Marshal Alok Sharma said, “We have got the talent and psychological map of the best students. We have got the vision of 2047 from the Prime Minister, and the AIFF’s vision, which is also for the same year. So when I heard about this vision, there was no doubt that we have to be a part of it, and there was no doubt that we
will be able to contribute to it.
“Not that long ago, were we discussing how to get this done. It has now materialised in a short duration, and I am thankful to the AIFF for it. Let’s produce the results, as that will be the icing on the cake,” said Mr Sharma. “The process is good, and now it’s time for us to get the results. The major takeaway for us will be that the students will now have the aspiration of playing for India one day. They will be playing with the best, getting advice from good coaches, performing at a level where someone is looking at their future.”
This MoU will see the SMSES field a Subroto XI team in the AIFF’s youth competitions, which will be formed from by scouting the best players across the various age categories of the Subroto Cup. The Selection Committee of the aforementioned Subroto XI will comprise one member deputed by the SMSES, and one nominated member from
the Sports Authority of India (SAI), along with two scouts nominated by the AIFF, to form a four-member committee.
The Selection Committee shall be responsible for identifying the top players and thereafter called up to the Subroto XI team of their respective categories. The AIFF, for its part, will allow the Subroto XI direct entry into the AIFF Youth Leagues for both boys and girls across various age categories from the 2023-24 season onwards.
Twenty-five players will be identified by the Selection Committee from each of the U-17 Boys and Girls categories for a one-time cash scholarship of Rs 25,000/- for every player. The same award for the Sub-Junior (U-14) category will be Rs 15,000/- each.
