AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: Continuing the legacy of the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 India and building on the recently concluded AFC U-19 Championship qualifiers, the Indian Arrows – consisting of a mixture of Indian U-17s and Indian U-19s – are gearing up to give clubs in the Hero I-League a tough fight.

The Hero I-League campaign for the Indian Arrows starts on November 29 when the young colts face Chennai City FC and square off against some of the best players in the domestic league structure.

But does that faze the confidence of the young Arrows? “We are confident of ourselves and we believe that we can make it tough for Hero I-league teams to play against us”, said Sanjeev Stalin.

“We might not be able to win each and every match but even if we hold a Hero I-league club to a draw, it will be a big morale booster for us.I want to thank the All India Football Federation for giving us a chance to play in the Hero I-League, it means a lot to us”, Stalin opined.

Edmund Lalrindika who scored in the 3-0 win over Turkmenistan in the AFC U-19 Championship qualifiers in Dammam, Saudi Arabia stated, “Every footballer wants to play in the domestic league as a professional player and playing in the Hero I-League will help us in becoming mature footballers as well as human beings”

“We are focused on the upcoming matches and we will strive to give our hundred percent in the league fixtures. In the process, we are bound to grow into better footballers”, he added.

Meanwhile, Jeakson Singh, India’s first goalscorer in a FIFA Tournament sounded excited of playing in the league but cautious of the other clubs. “Playing against some of the best Club teams in India will certainly be hard for us, but it will be a good learning experience which will help us evolve into better versions of ourselves”

“We are excited to play in the Hero I-League but we will have to be at the top of our game and will have to give more than our hundred percent to give teams a tough fight”

“It will be very tough, but it will be worth it”, Jeakson said.