Last updated on April 4th, 2024 at 09:21 am
Football Revolution in India
Football will become a game-changer in India in the next 20 years, as announced by Parimal Nathwani, the chief of the Gujarat State Football Association, during his address at the 45th Annual General Meeting (AGM) today in Ahmedabad. Several corporate entities in Gujarat, including Reliance Industries Limited, Adani Group, Torrent Group, and Jhajjar Group, have shown significant enthusiasm in supporting the development of football in the country, complementing the long-term efforts of the football organizations.
Under the leadership of Parimal Nathwani, the Gujarat State Football Association is relentlessly working towards the growth of football at the grassroots level. The association takes pride in the fact that the All India Football Federation (AIFF) elections, which were won by the AIFF President Shri Praful Patel by a margin of 33 votes to 1, also nominated Shri Kalyan Chaubey from Gujarat. He has now been included in the Executive Committee of the AIFF.
In his address at the Annual General Meeting, Parimal Nathwani urged the district football associations to identify and nurture talented young players and prepare a development plan to take Gujarat football to new heights. He stated, “You can come forward with your queries; there is no problem. But you should also come forward to collect your report cards as we should know the performance of all district football associations. We should select talented players from all district football associations and be prepared to support them at all levels.”
Furthermore, the Gujarat State Football Association has also collaborated with the Sports Authority of Gujarat to conduct the Golden Baby League, aimed at identifying young talents in various districts. This league will now be recognized as the Blue Cubs.
The GSFA has successfully organized various tournaments during the year 2022-23, including the Reliance Cup, GSFA Senior Men’s Inter-District Football Tournament, Gujarat State Women’s League, Khelo India City League Under-17, Khelo India City League Under-17 Girls, 31st Balram Kshatriya Memorial (Under-17) Boys I.D.F.T., GSFA Senior Women’s I.D.F.T. Trophy, GSFA Under-18 Club Championship, GSFA Under-15 Club Championship, GSFA Under-13 Club Championship, and GSFA Club Championship Senior Men’s and Senior Women’s.
The GSFA has also partnered with the Gujarat Sports Authority to implement the MOU to scout for young talents in districts of Gujarat. “The Golden Baby League, for 6 to 12-year-old young talents, is an initiative to find and nurture young talents in football at the grassroots level across the country. GSFA is proud to take the lead in the development of football at the grassroots level, creating an encouraging environment for football in the state,” stated GSFA General Secretary Shri Mulraj Singh Chudasama.
The Annual General Meeting was attended by GSFA Vice Presidents Shri Arun Singh Rajput, Shri Hanif Jinwala, and Shri Gunvantbhai Delavala, GSFA Treasurer Shri Manek Buch, along with representatives from 33 district football associations.
With the support and dedicated efforts of the GSFA under the leadership of Parimal Nathwani, football in Gujarat and India is set to witness significant transformation in the next two decades, making it a game-changer in the country, equivalent to cricket.
