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Football’s world governing body will pump in a total of $ 1 million to fund regional academies in India over a period of five years from 2012-17, a Fifa official revealed.
According to Fifa’s senior development manager for Asia David Borja, who briefed the members of AFC’s ad-hoc committee for Indian Professional Football the international federation will also help the AIFF to identify potential sponsors at the regional level to support the academies.
Fifa has already finalised Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore to set up its regional residential academies in partnership with the AIFF to promote the sport in the country.
“Fifa will also design the training curriculum for regional and elite academies and will set up guidelines for talent identification. Fifa will also financially support youth and grassroots development programmes,” said Borja.“Fifa will also organise annual courses and refresher courses coaches, referees and instructors,” he added.
On the progress of ‘Win in India, with India’ project, he said the laying of artificial turfs in Bangalore and Shillong had been completed and the upgraded venues would be handed over to the state associations by early December.
He said the artificial turf in Mumbai’s Cooperage ground would be installed by the end of the year and additional funds had been approved for the stadium’s renovation.
Borja also informed that some facilities at the AIFF House in New Delhi would also be upgraded.
