Nine players from the first batch of the Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) academy in Navi Mumbai, have penned contracts with Indian Super League (ISL) clubs.
Aritra Das, Muhammed Basith PT and Birendra Singh have been signed by Kerala Blasters, G Balaji and Aqib Nawab will be at Chennaiyin FC, Muhammed Nemil will turn up for FC Goa, Thoi Singh will be playing for Bengaluru FC, Ayush Chhikara will be honing his skills at Mumbai City FC and Koustav Dutta at Hyderabad FC.
Balaji and Nawab’s have agreed to a two-year contract while the rest of the seven players have signed a three-year deal.
“It is a matter of great pride and joy for us that our young champs from RFYC have embarked on their professional footballing journey with ISL.” said Mrs. Nita Ambani, Founder & Chairperson of Reliance Foundation. “We started the academy in 2015 to provide a pathway for talented young players across India to build successful professional careers in the sport. These boys arrived at RFYC in their early teens and I am delighted that they step out today as highly skilled players, who have earned a place with the best football clubs in the country.”
These players have spent the last five years at RFYC as the first batch of students to be inducted when the academy was founded in 2015.
Earlier this year RFYC was conferred Two-Star Academy status by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). In 2019 the All India Football Federation (AIFF) granted a 5-star rating during the Academy Accreditation process.
ISL
AFC grants two-star status only after an academy meets rigorous criteria based on its ability to provide leadership, planning, organisation, staffing, recruitment, finance, facilities, coaching, player health, coaching and fitness among other requirements.
“In order to unlock the huge potential of Indian football, we need to create a world class eco-system,” asserted Mrs. Ambani.
“That has been our goal at RFYC over these last five years. Of course, these are still early days and a lot of hard work lies ahead for these boys at their respective clubs. But I am hopeful the training they have received in all aspects from technical skills, physical fitness, and mental conditioning will hold them in good stead. I am keeping my fingers crossed for their success!”
With 22 new young players joining the programme in the last year, the total students currently training at the RFYC academy is 65, with 22 full-time staff. RFYC also supports AIFF’s coach education efforts, to help strengthen India’s wider sports knowledge eco-system.