Jan 05: Bharti Enterprises would be investing more than Rs. 100 crore in the project which will be known as National Football Development Programme.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Bharti Enterprises have joined hands for the globalisation of Indian football and to develop & promote a powerful sporting and football culture in the country through a comprehensive project that will be identified as National Football Development Programme (NFDP).
Announcing the deal in the capital on Friday with Bharti, the telecom giant, AIFF President Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi told a press conference that Bharti would be investing more than Rs. 100 crore in the project that would be of global standards. He added that the programme was likely to start by March 31.
The Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, Information and Broadcasting minister and AIFF chief. The MoU visualises that both parties jointly set up a comprehensive national football development programme, including a world-class academy.
This NFDP program is aimed at delivering the vision of taking India to the FIFA World Cup 2018. Firstly, Bharti will set up an academy in Goa under the said programme while another academy was also likely to come up in Haryana to be funded by ONGC.
"In India, football has had a rich history. The football academy will build young talent providing them with the best the world has to offer. We are pleased that a company like Bharti has stepped forward to partner India in the development of football,� said Dasmunsi.
“AIFF remains committed to partner Bharti and make India a football superpower,� Dasmunsi added.
Speaking on the occasion, Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman and CEO of the Bharti Enterprises, said that a talent hunt would be launched to select boys for the academy and Bharti Foundation would manage the project.
AIFF General Secretary Alberto Colaco said that initially there could be 25 boys selected for the residential academy in Goa. There will be four age groups of eight to 11, 11 to 13, 13 to 15 and 15 to 18.
As a first and immediate step, Bharti also announced a significant support for the development of the Indian Under-16 football team in its endeavour to qualify for the Under-17 football world cup finals. The team has reached the final qualifying round (from Asia ) of the competition and will receive the best coaching and support.
Bharti will build a world standard football academy with the support of International sporting leaders like Manchester United & IMG Global. Bharti will establish and govern a world-class football academy, which will be called the ‘Bharti-AIFF Academy'.
The Academy, which will be built on the lines of Club Academies in Western Europe, will be a residential cum educational academy. It will select and nurture talent in different age groups with the help of experts from around the world and will provide the talent with exposure to global best practices and training techniques.
Bharti also plans to create a partner ecosystem, which will include significant sporting leaders like Manchester United and IMG, towards achieving these objectives.
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