INDIAN FOOTBALL NEWS 2020 (SEPT)

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FSDL OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCES EAST BENGAL FC ENTRY IN INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE

27.9.20: The dream of millions of East Bengal fanatics came true when Mrs. Nita Ambani, Founder & Chairperson, Football Sports Development Limited officially announced the name of East Bengal to participate in the current edition of Indian Super League.

East Bengal is now the eleventh team to participate in the seventh edition of ISL which will kick off close door at the end of November at Goa. The dimension of ISL rose to a great expectation as the two iconic football clubs of Indian Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are now a part of the top tier league.

In her massage Mrs Ambani said, “It is such a happy and proud moment for ISL as we welcome East Bengal FC and their millions of fans into the League. The inclusion of both legacy clubs, i.e. East Bengal and Mohun Bagan (now ATK Mohun Bagan) opens limitless possibilities for Indian football, especially for talent development in the state.

“West Bengal has made an immense contribution to the growth of the beautiful game in India. ISL’s growing footprint in the state and across India, is yet another step towards our mission of building a competitive and robust football ecosystem in the country,”

> After the merger of ATK and Mohun Bagan, East Bengal officials are desperate for a financially sound investor which is essential to play in ISL. Finally, with the intervention of the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, East Bengal finally tied up with Sree Cement Private Limited as their new investor.

After the tied up with the investor Sree Cement Private limited, East Bengal picked up the BID paper issued by FSDL and had to fulfill the necessary documentations as well as the transfer of sporting rights in the name of the investor which is mandatory to complete the licensing process with Asian Football Confederation within a very short period of time.

Now, a new journey starts for the Kolkata giants as well as for Indian Super League. The seventh edition of the league will showcase Mohun Bagan after a merge with ATK and East Bengal which will eventually rise the interest of the competition for the millions of fanatics world wide.

FOOTBALLERS ARRIVING AT GOA FOR ISL

26.9.20: The seventh edition of Indian Super League are expected to kick off close door at the end of November. The footballers of different franchisee teams started to arrive at Goa for their pre season training. Some of the Indian footballers of Hyderabad FC, Kerala Blasters FC,Mumbai City FC and ATK MohuBagan arrived at Goa and the footballers will have to stay at quarantine in their respective hotels for a week before they start their pre season camp.

The foreign footballers, coaches and support staffs are yet to arrive at the venew. It is expected that the overseas footballer will arrive only after their visa is issued. Meanwhile, Ministry of External Affairs has granted visa to nine footballers and one coaching staff to join their teams at Goa. All the foreign footballers are required for a five rounds of covit test . So, the pre season camp of different teams will start in absence of the foreign footballers.

GURPREET AND SANJU DECLARED WINNERS OF AIFF PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARDS

25.9.20 : Indian National Team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, and Indian Women's National Team midfielder Sanju are the winners of the 2019-20 AIFF Men's Footballer of the Year Award, and the 2019-20 AIFF Women’s Footballer of the Year Award respectively. Men’s National team midfielder Anirudh Thapa and Women's National team midfielder Ratanbala Devi were the AIFF 2019-20 Men’s and Women's Emerging Footballer of the Year respectively. while 2019-20 AIFF Award for the Best Grassroots Development Programme went to the Indian Football Association (West Bengal).



Gurpreet became the second goalkeeper after Subrata Paul to be named the AIFF Player of the Year on the basis of votes from Indian Super League and I-League club coaches.

“There was always a desire to reach this point and this is an Award which I have always looked up to. Chhetri-bhai (Sunil Chhetri) has won it so many times and I have always thought when I can be worthy enough to win it,” Gurpreet said. “Huge thanks go to AIFF and everyone who has supported and helped me relentlessly to help me achieve this today” he added. “Garnering the all-important draw against Asian Champions Qatar in Doha, eleven clean sheets in last Hero Indian Super League edition, winning the Golden Glove award could not have been possible without the team.

A big thank you to all Hero Indian Super League and Hero I-League club coaches who have thought I'm worthy of receiving this award. I'll try my best to live up to the expectations,” Arjuna Awardee of last year Gurpreet expressed in AIFF Media.



National Women’s team midfielder Sanju was selected the winner for an excellent 2019-20 season.
Sanju said in AIFF Media, "Personally, it's a big milestone for me. This Award is the proof that all the hard work that we have been doing over the last few years has indeed paid off. I would like to thank AIFF for all the exposure that we have got to grow and to improve ourselves. I'd also like to thank the seniors in our team. All of them have been an immense help to me and have helped me cope with the rigours of international football. I'd also like to thank Maymol ma'am for allowing me the time and the opportunity to grow within the team and express myself on the pitch.”

“This news is a breath of fresh air for me and my family -- especially whatever we have witnessed so far in this year. I would like to thank AIFF, all my teammates and coaching staff to help me achieve whatever I could. We have garnered some fantastic performances at the club front as well as for the National team last year but we need to push harder to raise the bar and we can surely do that,” Thapa said in AIFF Media.

"This is a happy moment in my life, indeed. I've seen some of my teammates bag this award in the previous years, and it is really nice to win it myself this time round. The way our team has grown over the last couple of years is simply phenomenal. I would like to thank the AIFF, my coaches and all my teammates for helping we win this award. This will provide further motivation for us to push ahead in the future." Ratanbala Devi said in AIFF Media.
L. Ajit Kumar Meetei from Manipur and P. Vairamuthu from Tamil Nadu named the winner of the 2019-20 AIFF Award for the Best Referee and Assistant Referee respectively.

2019-20 AIFF Award for the Best Grassroots Development Programme went to the Indian Football Association (West Bengal).

2019-20 AIFF Men’s Footballer of the Year: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
2019-20 AIFF Women’s Player of the Year: Sanju.
2019-20 AIFF Men’s Emerging Footballer of the Year: Anirudh Thapa.
2019-20 AIFF Emerging Women’s Footballer of the Year: Ms. Ratanbala Devi.
2019-20 AIFF Award for the Best Assistant Referee: Mr. P. VAIRA-MUTHU (from Tamil Nadu).

2019-20 AIFF Award for the Best Referee: Mr. L. Ajit Kumar Meetei (from Manipur).
Award for the Best Grassroots Development Programme: West Bengal (based on E-licence courses and Golden Baby Leagues).

STATE ASSOCIATION WILL RECEIVE COVID SOLIDARITY FUND FROM AIFF

AIFF MEDIA - 22.9.20: Mr. Praful Patel, President, All India Football Federation met all State Association representatives in a virtual meeting earlier today evening (Monday, September 21, 2020).


Presidents and General Secretaries of affiliated State Associations were in attendance, as was the General Secretary of the AIFF.The President decided to waive of the CRS fees for all players – an amount of Rs. 1.32 crore which was to be paid to the AIFF, and also an amount of 34.5 lakhs for the Academy Accreditation fee for the 2020-21 season.


Furthermore, the President also granted a Rs. 3 crore Covid solidarity fund to help the State Associations which will be discussed individually with the State FAs to understand their individual requirements. However, the WIFA and the IFA announced their decision to forego the grant.

Earlier, the meeting began with everyone paying their homage to all the departed souls from Indian Football family, and a minute’s silence was observed as a mark of respect for all their contribution to Indian Football. “I understand that the Covid pandemic has made life difficult for all of us – not just for football but for all issues regarding our livelihood,” Mr. Patel stated. “The sport has been very badly affected worldwide, and matches are being played behind closed doors,” the President added.

“The Indian Football season is all set to kick-off from October onwards. Despite the difficult situation we hope to move ahead with the planned calendar. But there’s always a doubt whether we would be able to conduct ourselves as planned,” he averred. “A large number of states are still battling the virus, our teams cannot reassemble, and we also cannot start our camps. In a country as big and diverse as India, there are many restrictions in many states,” Mr. Patel informed.

“Even the Leagues are getting curtailed, and it’s not good for the game and the players. 2020 has been a very difficult year for sports,” the President maintained. Meanwhile representatives from State Associations unanimously lauded and thanked AIFF’s initiative to bring all together on the virtual platform, expressing their “solidarity with AIFF” in taking Indian Football forward together.

GWC WILL ACT AS OFFICIAL LOGISTICS & REGIONAL SUPPORTER IN QATAR WORLD CUP

FIFA MEDIA - 21.9.20 Qatar-based GWC (Q.P.S.C.), a leader in supply chain solutions including warehousing, freight forwarding, commercial, fine art, and event logistics services, was announced as the first Regional Supporter and Official Logistics Provider for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ today. As such, GWC will be the key operational supplier of logistics solutions for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

GWC, which was the National Supporter and Official Logistics Provider for the FIFA Club World Cup 2019™, will build on this experience and draw on its robust network of contacts throughout the world to deliver logistics and supply chain services for the FIFA World Cup 2022. Speaking about the announcement, FIFA’s Chief Commercial Officer Simon Thomas said:

“Logistics are critical to an event as large and complex as the FIFA World Cup, so having GWC on board as a Regional Supporter and the Official Logistics Provider for the tournament will provide FIFA and its Commercial Affiliates with crucial support and expertise in logistics and supply chain management, which will ensure a smooth and efficient delivery of the competition.”

GWC Chairman Sh. Abdulla bin Fahad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al-Thani said:
"Today marks a landmark achievement in the history of GWC as we are entrusted to deliver the logistical requirements for the FIFA World Cup 2022, and today we become a trusted player in the journey towards 2022, proudly doing our part in actualising another milestone of Qatar's vision. We enter this agreement with confidence that we will showcase the world-class sporting and logistics infrastructure that Qatar has developed over the years, while embodying the values of sportsmanship and encouraging active engagement of football enthusiasts and wider audiences."

GWC has a logistical infrastructure covering more than three million square metres, including the largest privately owned logistics hub in the region, along with a team of dedicated and innovative specialists and state-of-the-art IT systems.
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will take place from 21 November until 18 December in eight stadiums around Qatar – three of which are already fully operational, with two more scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

IFA COLLABORATES WITH ACCORD AS COMMERCIAL PARTNER

17.9.20 : Indian Football Association (West Bengal) touches a milestone in their 128 years old history. In a city hotel at Kolkata, the century old organisation tied up with ACCORD SPORTS as Commercial partner with a multi crore deal. It will be the highest ever investment by any commercial organisation which amounts 14 crores within 2023. Earlier it was ESPN, who invested 10 crores in ten years.



Accord Sports will help IFA to build infrastructure and football academy. Moreover, Accord Sports will act as a marketing arm to attract suitable corporate in different IFA organised tournaments and programmes. In addition ACCORD will help in merchandising, Television broad casting, proper branding of CFL, IFA SHIELD and other IFA organised tournaments even in different age groups and projects.

ACCORD is a thirty years old premier advertising company having it's offices at Bengaluru, Goa, Mumbai, Siliguri and Hyderabad. The company has a network of partners and Collaborates, has ventured into the world of Sports management. In fact ACCORD is the sponcer of Goa League, the league which is a popular league in the country. The main target of ACCORD is to arrange finances from suitable companies and corporate in different tournaments.

IFA are in a plan to expand it's programme throughout Bengal. Their first target is to start North Bengal league, with a branch office of the organization in North Bengal.

While interacting with the media, IFA Secretary Jaydeep Mukherjee said that IFA are in a mood to improve and develop the youth level which will ultimately reflect in the development of Bengal football. IFA are thinking of introducing the 2nd division to 5th division football league giving priority to the age of the footballers. As he said that the 19 years will play in 2nd division , 18 years in 3rd division, 17 years in 4th division. The boys of 13 and 14 years will be eligible for the nursery division.

IFA are confident to organise Kolkata CFL at the beginning of 2021, though they are yet to decide the schedules of the tournament.

EAST BENGAL'S INVESTOR SUBMITTED BID TO FSDL

15.9.20: The investor of East Bengal club finally submitted the BID documents to FSDL on Tuesday to participate in the forthcoming seventh edition of Indian Super League. The BID documents were submitted in the name of Sree Cement East Bengal Foundation after discussing various legal aspects between the officials of East Bengal, investors Sree Cements Limited and FSDL.

All India Football Federation will shortly intimate to AFC to take necessary steps for the enrollment of East Bengal in the new name which is required for Club Licensing procedures. The hard copies of the BID documents are being sent to FSDL.

It is likely that FSDL will declare the entry of East Bengal as the 11th team in the forth coming tournament within 22nd September. The inclusion of the two iconic teams Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in the top tier league of the country will have a great impact in Indian football in the coming days.

She Power comes to the fore, drives social change through Golden Baby Leagues in Punjab

14.09.2020 - AIFF PRESS RELEASE : The Golden Baby Leagues initiative was launched by All India Football Federation (AIFF) in 2018 with the primary objective of engaging children from ages 6-12 with football and give them exposure from a very young age. However, in communities across the country, it is also helping break societal stereotypes and drive social change in the right direction.



30 kilometres away from district headquarters Jalandhar in a village named Rurka Kalan, nearly 600 children took part in the Golden Baby Leagues in the 2019-20 season, with half of them being girls. YFC Rurka Kalan (Youth Football Club), a local club formed in 2001, conducted separate leagues for boys and girls in the U-6, U-8, U-10 and U-12 categories, with the girls' edition receiving "tremendous response" in particular.

"Our network covers 20-25 schools in local areas with a lot of them being girls' schools. This time we had separate leagues for boys and girls in four age categories which allowed us to involve more children. The response we have got for the girls' league has been tremendous," league operator Rubby Ali told www.the-aiff.com.

With playing opportunities being limited for girls and many children spending excessive time on mobile phones and screens, one of the objectives of the initiative included getting children out of their houses and engaging in physical activity. Through a network of youth mentors, meetings were held with parents in the areas - who eventually showed great interest in sending their young girls to play and even got involved.

Soon enough it became a common sight to see parents turn up to the ground early in the morning with their young daughters, even half an hour in advance. They would watch the matches and enjoy, and take their children back home - devoting a significant amount of time to football.

"When we would seek feedback, the parents would ask us - 'When is our daughter's next match? How is she doing?'. There is a lot of interest. With most families in the area being with very limited sources of income, them taking out time to take their children for football is really appreciable," Ali opined.

One of the aspects of the Golden Baby Leagues is developing a football player for life via learning through games while having fun, making friendships and developing team spirit. Another crucial aspect of the YFC Golden Baby Leagues has been the social one -- with young girls being engaged through sessions on a number of important topics using sport as a "medium" to help "drive social change" and move forward together.

Along with the matches, sessions were conducted for the kids - starting from ages 5-6. For example, if a team would be waiting for its next match to begin, they would be engaged in special sessions on domains such as staying away from drugs, the importance of education, gender equality, etc, -- involving them in the process and using football as a medium to drive social change.

Interestingly, the operations of the league, as well as match supervision are done by a group of young girls who are part of the club's U-16 women's team. From refereeing to registration to arranging facilities such as food & water - all of it is done by the girls in a bid to "empower" them and develop "leadership skills".

"We encouraged the girls to help organize the event and they themselves took the initiative to lead. The aim was to help them explore more career options, such as refereeing, and develop an interest. In the first season (2018-19), our coaches helped them out and taught them. This year around, they pulled off everything seamlessly and did a great job," Ali informed.

FIFPRO & FIFA sign collaboration agreement to reinforce fight against match-fixing with smartphone app

11.9.20: FIFPRO has been introduced THE RED BUTTON APP ( Smartphone App) whhich allows professional footballers to safely report match-fixing approaches - It will be distributed globaly to their players through it's affiliated national player associations. All though FIFA already has confidential reporting platforms — such as the FIFA Integrity app — that players can still use.

only professional footballers are allowed to download the app. It will be availabe from One's national player association. During a team visit, they will enable players to download the Red Button app, using some safety measures. Once installed, they can use the app as many times as he wants. The Red Button app is built with technology that ensures no trace of a report is left on their smartphones. The app also gives players the option to leave their contact details so that investigators can contact them confidentially.

What happens with the report? As per FIFPRO - In each country, the local player association together with security experts and FIFPRO has assessed which parties are the safest to receive the reports submitted with the Red Button app. These designated national authorities could include police and government anti-corruption units

FIFPRO will also receive the submitted information, which FIFPRO can decide to share with the FIFA Integrity department for an investigation Created in a partnership between Finland’s player association and government, Red Button was ranked the highest of 20 whistle-blower apps in international sports in a recent study, according to a report by Liverpool University. The Red Button app provides this facility and will help players manage this considerable risk that, through no fault of their own, might confront them at any time.”

Oliver Jaberg, Deputy Chief Legal & Compliance Officer and Director of Integrity & Anti-Doping at FIFA, added: Red Button app will provide players with another important and easy-to-use platform to confidentially report any concerns they may have, as well as building on existing reporting platforms in place – like the FIFA Integrity App – that are currently available at national and international level.

AFC CUP CANCELLED, A DELAYED START IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

10.9.20: The AFC cup, which is now ranked as the second tier club competition of Asia were forced to cancel by AFC following the COVID-19 pandemic. But the AFC champions league will be action soon though the dates are yet to be finalised.

The AFC cup which was scheduled on March 2020 were rescheduled but after a meeting of the executive committee on Thursday, it was decided to called off the tournament. Indian team, I league champions Chennai City FC are to take part in Group E along with Basundhara Kings, Maziya and TC Sports.

AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa in his massage said, "These are tough times for everyone connected with football and sport in general." In a media release Asian Football Confederation (AFC) stated, "In view of the logistics in coordinating the five zones of the AFC Cup and completing the Inter Zone matches, the Executive Committee agreed that the pandemic created complexities which constituted a Force Majeure event and led to the cancellation of the 2020 competition." The matches of the AFC champions league will be in action at Qatar from this month onward , while matches in two of the East Asia groups will be played in Malaysia. The final of the AFC champions league will be played on 15th of December in place of 5th of December 2020.

AFC U-16 and AFC U-19 Championships, scheduled for Bahrain and Uzbekistan, have been postponed until early 2021. The AFC Solidarity Cup has also been cancelled because of the Force Majeure event and will now be played in 2024 and the AFC Futsal Club Championship UAE 2020 will be cancelled with the United Arab Emirates hosting the next event in 2021.

Sreenidhi Group - has already spent around Rs 50 crores on building the Sreenidhi Football Village

AIFF MEDIA-8.9.20: Sreenidhi Group, who have been granted playing rights in the Hero I-League 2021-22 onwards have set their sights on a wholesome infrastructural development in the region of Andhra and Telangana, as they look to prepare for their upcoming big test.

In a candid chat on AIFF TV, Sreenidhi Director Dr Taher Mahi Katikaneni revealed that the group has already spent around Rs 50 crores on building the Sreenidhi Football Village in its base in Visakhapatnam, and intends to provide its players with top-class facilities. “We need to understand that to develop world-class players, we need to have world-class facilities. Without that, development is unlikely to happen. This is one commitment we have taken very sincerely,” Dr Mahi said. “That is something we need to give to the players in order for them to reach their top potential. There is no alternative,” he averred.

The Sreenidhi Group, which already fields its teams in the AIFF’s youth leagues, had begun construction of its football village in Telangana two years back. While the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the progress, Dr Mahi remains hopeful that he will be able to make all the facilities available to the players in a couple of years’ time. “We already have four International standard grounds which are ready. The turf of the third ground is still coming up. It’s been half-finished because of the pandemic. We’ve got everything planned, right from office, gyms, medical rooms, to galleries. By the end of the construction, which will probably take another year and a half, we will be able to give our players a top facility, one that will probably be the best in India,” informed Dr Mahi.

BUILDING A LOCAL BASE

With so much invested in infrastructure, the Sreenidhi Group is aiming to build a result-oriented team for the Hero I-League. However, the long term motive remains to bring through local players. “We will focus on Indian players, but we also have to keep an eye on the competitive levels, so we will try and get a few quality overseas players too. But if possible, even if it is a small percentage, we would very much like to have a few players from Andhra (Pradesh) and Telangana as well,” informed Dr Mahi.

The Sreenidhi Group director went on to reveal that the business entity had already been offering its youth players with the best possible facilities without any charge in return, in order to reach their target of fielding local players in the senior team. “We provide them with accommodation, education, transport, medical treatment, and even playing equipment,” he said. “We have our Football Schools Programme, which is open to all the youngsters who want to play the game.”

FIFA LAUNCHES PROGRAMME TO DEVOLOPE WOMEN'S FOOTBALL

FIFA MEDIA-8.9.20: FIFA has launched a programme for member associations (MAS) to further develop women’s football on a sustainable basis whilst simultaneously pushing it forward into the mainstream. In line with FIFA’s Women’s Football Strategy, the FIFA Women’s Development Programme aims to provide all 211 member associations with the opportunity to apply for and access additional resources and specialist expertise to develop women’s football at a national level.

FIFA is offering eight new women’s football development programmes for the 2020-2023 period.

All FIFA member associations are eligible to apply now for these programmes.

Programmes aim to provide member associations with access to additional tailored expertise and support to develop women’s football.
In line with FIFA’s Women’s Football Strategy, the FIFA Women’s Development Programme aims to provide all 211 member associations with the opportunity to apply for and access additional resources and specialist expertise to develop women’s football at a national level.

Member associations will be able to apply for support across eight key areas of women’s football development during the 2020-2023 period. In addition to financial assistance to cover the costs in selected programmes, the FIFA Women’s Development Programme will also provide MAs with access to women’s football experts, additional equipment and technical support within FIFA in order to develop women’s football in their country.

The FIFA Women’s Development Programme underlines FIFA’s commitment to supporting MAs in developing the women’s game and builds upon the solid foundations laid by the FIFA Forward Programme. It also follows the recent announcement of an additional USD 500,000 grant per MA as part of the COVID-19 Relief Plan that will be specifically allocated to women’s football.

The FIFA Women’s Development Programme includes the following projects:

Women’s Football Strategy

Women’s Football Campaign

League Development

Club Licensing

Capacity-Building for Administrators

Coach Education Scholarships

Coach Mentorship

Women in Football Leadership

Fatma Samoura, FIFA Secretary General, said:

“FIFA’s commitment to supporting our member associations in developing women’s football remains one of our top priorities. In addition to the funding currently available via the COVID-19 Women’s Football Grant and the FIFA Forward Programme, the FIFA Women’s Football Development Programme will provide more support and assistance to member associations so that they can invest in the women’s game at all levels.”

Sarai Bareman, FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer, added: “The top-class football and billion-plus television viewers of last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 in France showed just how far the women’s game has come. Our goal is to bring it ever more into the mainstream and working hand in hand with our MAs will allow us to do this and make women’s football accessible to everybody.”

Women’s football is a key priority for FIFA, which set up a dedicated Women’s Football Division in 2016, presented its first Women’s Football Strategy two years later and is now doubling its investment across a range of areas in the women’s game. This investment will be distributed across a range of areas in the women’s game including competitions, capacity-building, governance and leadership, professionalisation and technical development. The new programmes represent the next phase of this development.

Member associations can apply for any of these FIFA programmes, provided that they meet the requirements and fit in with their national women’s football development strategy.

BAICHUNG BHUTIA FOOTBALL SCHOOL - Virtual Learning Now Enters The Sports Industry With India’s First Sports-Based Fitness and Training App

BBFC PRESS RELEASE - 4.9.20: They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and that has never been truer than it is in the current scenario, where the global coronavirus pandemic has helped breed innovation in almost everything we do – right from our regular interactions to daily modalities, such as the way we work and the way children learn. But when traditional education went online, no one imagined that sports education would follow, except for the founders at Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools (BBFS) who have launched their app enJogo – the first-ever football-based training app. The online launch event took place on September 4th, 2020 on the eve of Teachers’ Day as a tribute to all Coaches and Sports Educators. The event was presided over by Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (I/C), and hosted by Bhaichung Bhutia, Padma Shri and Arjuna Awardee.
BBFS started as a humble passion-driven endeavour of 2 IIT-ians and India’s football legend, Bhaichung Bhutia in 2010. Having grown to become India’s largest football academy over the last decade, they faced a unique problem when due to the lockdown, thousands of children who they had been training on the field everyday suddenly lost the ability to play their favourite sport overnight. With the manpower (and willpower) of over a hundred coaches, they began to devise ways to keep reaching out to their children and make sure they continued to stay fit, active and socially engaged with their friends and coaches. The positive impact on the children was enough to see that there was an opportunity to continue training while at home.


The Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports (I/C), Kiren Rijiju shared his appreciation for the innovation that enJogo has sought in the field of sports, “Technology can revolutionize grassroots sports in India. The football training app ‘enJogo’ from Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools will enable young footballers across India to get access to proper online coaching to train remotely, which can also help in identifying talent from the remotest parts of the country.”

At the online launch event, Bhaichung Bhutia spoke about how the app can address a larger issue that exists in the development of football talent, “When I was growing up, there was not only a lack of infrastructure, but also a lack of good football coaches with the right knowledge to train us. It is one of the main reasons why I started this football academy that can reach out to children across the country. Although BBFS has expanded to more than 20 cities over the last 10 years, it is still not possible for us to physically reach every kid in India and give them the quality football coaching that they deserve. But now with enJogo, we have the ability to cross physical barriers and give every child the chance to learn and practice the game that they love.” enJogo has a library of workouts with in-built videos of drills with audio instructions that accompany a user while they workout. The workouts are custom made for different ages and skill-levels, and have a built-in mechanism for users to track their performance metrics easily.

Kishore Taid, CEO and Co-founder of BBFS envisions enJogo to be the future of sports development for players of various ages and skill-levels, “Our core strength lies in the fact that we have tailored a robust and proven curriculum from years of experience, and have now developed an easy-to-use tech solution that any boy, girl or adult can use to keep practising and improving everyday. For a sports-lover, gyms and regular exercises can seem mundane – children feel the same way too about traditional forms of exercise. But with enJogo, fresh workouts are added on a weekly basis. There are also online group sessions that children love because of their strong attachment to their friends and coaches – it’s something they look forward to each day.” Unlike the traditional on-field academy which is focused on children and teenagers, the app has football-based workouts for adults as well, since football is one of the most played sports by adults, but there are no platforms that exist for adults to practice and learn the game.

While one might question the effectiveness of practising a team sport on your own, Kishore insists that the value can be seen only when tried for oneself, “When Ronaldo completed his fitness tests after the lockdown, the results showed that he was in better shape than he was before the lockdown because of the amount of individual training that he put in. Playing on the field is not enough- if you really want to excel you need to work on yourself continuously with the right guidance and methodology and that’s exactly what enJogo will help all its users do.”

FSDL INVITES BID: EAST BENGAL TO PLAY ISL

4.9.20: After conforming Sree Cement as the principle investor East Bengal are about to find their spot in the seventh edition of Indian Super League. As East Bengal official Debobrata Sarkar said after the deal with Sree Cement at Nabanna that East Bengal will apply to FSDL for an entry in ISL according to the required formalities.
Meanwhile, FSDL has invited 'BIDS' from the interested clubs or franchisees to enroll their name and to participate in the forth coming competition at Goa. It is mentioned that FSDL wishes to invite 'BID' from one additional team to enroll themselves and to participate in the seventh edition of ISL. Clubs or franchisees from cities like Delhi, Ludhiana, Siliguri, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Bhopal can enroll themselves to participate in the forth coming competition. One team (who wins the bidder) from the following cities will be awarded the right to participate in the seventh edition of Indian Super League.

The forms of the 'BID' will be available for process from 7th and 8th of September and the documents along with the form are to be submitted on the 14th of September. So, the seventh edition of ISL will be consisting of 11 teams after the entry of one additional team. Now, the inclusion of East Bengal in the top tier league of the country is just a formality.

EAST BENGAL FINALLY FINDS SREE CEMENT AS INVESTOR

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2.9.20: East Bengal finally tied up with Sree Cement as their principle investor. The official announcement was made today evening from the West Bengal Secretariat NABANNYA in presence of the honrable Chief Minister of WEST BENGAL- Miss Mamata Banerjee, East Bengal as well as Sree Cement officials.
While addressing in the meeting the Chief Minister said " Kolkata is the gateway of Indian football and Football without Bengal is incomplete.” Mamata Banerjee furthur added that she desires to build up three gates in the name of East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Mohammedan Sporting in or around Kolkata. In fact Mamata Banerjee took her initiative, as she feels the East Bengal deserves a spot in the top tier league in the centenary year.

East Bengal were in search of an investor since Quess Corp decided to withdraw themselves from the one hundred years old company. Unlike Mohun Bagan (already tied up with ATK), East Bengal are in a target to play in Indian Super League, which is being declared as the top tier league of the country. With this deal the Red and Gold Brigade are now all set to make a spot in Indian Super League. The dream of the millions of Red and Gold supporters to play in the top tier league will come true after the official confirmmation from FSDL.

Sree Cement is one of the top ranking manufacturing company in the country as the maximum share owned by Benu Gopal Bangur with the production units at Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Bihar. Sree Cement has a turnover of Rs 12175.62 crore in the financial year 2019-20.

The final fixture of Indian Super League is yet to be decayed. The next few days will decide the fate of East Bengal in Indian football. Now the game is entirely in the court of FSDL, who will flash a green signal to East Bengal to play in the current edition of the competition.