AIFF nominated for AFC Developing Award

New Delhi: The All India Football Federation has been nominated for the AFC Member Association (Developing) Award for 2016 along with Vietnam and Malaysia.

The awards will be announced at the gala event of AFC Awards Night in Abu Dhabi, UAE on December 1.

The prestigious award is given to a member association in recognition of its professional administration and governance as well as its exceptional contribution to the development and promotion of the game at all levels within the country. This includes grassroots and youth development work, women's football development and social responsibility.

With India hosting the FIFA U-17 World Cup next year, Indian Football is undergoing a revolution spearheaded by vigorous football development at the grassroots level, the AIFF said in a release.

The AIFF said it conducted 20 grassroots leaders courses in 2016, while 600 grassroots coaches were trained and 12 states implemented the AIFF Grassroots philosophy by setting up grassroots centres.

To beef up the number of AFC licensed coaches in the country, the AIFF conducted 29 AFC courses inclusive of 2 AFC A license courses, 5 AFC B license courses, 20 AFC C license courses and 2 AFC Goalkeeping level 1 courses. 210 coaches became AFC certified through the above mentioned coaching courses.

Extending the horizons of women's football, the AIFF, as part of the FIFA Live Your Goals campaign, conducted six courses across the country in five states, along with four FIFA courses exclusive only for women; FIFA Women's Administrative Course, FIFA Introductory Goalkeeping Course, FIFA Refreshers Course, and the FIFA Youth Course.

AIFF also conducted 13 grassroots festivals under the Live Your Goals project wherein more than 1000 girls were trained in the basics of grassroots football.

Meanwhile, 40 academies applied for academy accreditation to play in the U-16 and U-18 Youth Leagues of AIFF, out of which 26 passed, increasing the base of the Player pyramid structure in the nation.