India Khelo Football partners with Andaman and Nicobar Football Association to scout Grassroots talent in the region

by FC admin November 29, 2022

Andaman and Nicobar Football Association with India Khelo Football will host Asia’s biggest trials for
the first time in the state, where selected kids will get a chance to perform in front of ISL,I-League Clubs,
and International scouts.

India, 29th November 2022: India Khelo Football (IKF), a non-profit organization connecting Indian
Football grassroots talent with the professional Football ecosystem, commences their partnership with
ANFA or the Andaman and Nicobar Football Association to host trials in Port Blair for boys and girls
under ages of 13-17. In its pursuit of creating a viable career path for aspiring players, IKF has built the
first-of-its-kind platform where multiple ISL clubs, I-leagues, and international scouts come under one
roof to scout the best-in-class Football talent across the country through a democratized and open
talent identification process.

Halfway across Season 2, IKF has witnessed 5000+ enrollments across 15 cities, already surpassing the
total figures from Season 1. This impressive growth will take yet another step forward as IKF is ready to
kick off Asia’s biggest trials in Port Blair on 23rd – 24th December. One can register online or offline at
Hotel Daya Sagar Office, Brichgunj Chowk, Prothrapur, Port Blair, for the trials. Selected boys and girls
will qualify for IKF pre-finals and National Finals, where ISL and I-League teams, and International scouts
will come to scout the untapped talent pool in the country. Shortlisted players from the National Finals
will also get a chance to win free trials in Europe. IKF has already covered 15 cities and will be going to
9 more cities including Kolkata, Mumbai, Dimapur, Kohima, Nilgir,i Vadodara before 31st December.

Paying homage to the spirit of the beautiful game, the Hon. Secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Football
Association, Mr Sanjay Meshack said, “ The exposure and recognition that the kids will receive through
IKF’s initiative will result in enriching the existing football culture in the territory. The interest in football
in Andaman and Nicobar has seen a revival in recent years as demonstrated in the 2021 Santosh Trophy,
where we competed for the first time since 2014. The association with India Khelo Football is an
important step towards tapping the potential in the region and will surely accelerate the interest in
playing, as well as developing a viable career for aspiring players in Football. “

Excited to host the trials for the first time in the territory, Paras Mehndiratta, Founding Member of India
Khelo Football commented, “We are delighted to partner with the Andaman and Nicobar Football
Association to provide the kids with a professional football platform in India and abroad. We are grateful
to our partners and the team, who make our trial outreach a success. In light of FIFA’s spirit that makes
India the largest spectator of the game, and the girls embarking India’s football journey in the FIFA World
Cup U-17, we are set to upskill, train, and scout the best Indian Football talent who are the future of
Indian Football. We have seen a tremendous response from our community online, reaching up to 9.5 M
users on digital forums.’’

IKF aims to holistically develop a self-sustainable environment for India to begin the international
footprint with opportunities in the form of Clubs, Agents & Scouts. IKF publicly releases a summary
report of all kids selected from the City Trials, consisting of the player’s strengths and weaknesses on the
ground. Prior to the National Finals, IKF is hosting ProSoccer Global workshop which will host Premier
League scouts organizing workshops in India for the first time.