AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: The All India Football Federation celebrated the AFC Grassroots Day (May 15, 2015) with pomp and festivities, as it organized eight AIFF Grassroots Courses across the country, which were met with massive success.

The eight courses which were in line with the AFC Grassroots ideology were conducted in the states of Orissa, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. And a total of 210 Coaches were trained by the Instructors.

Apart from the Grassroots Courses, the AIFF also conducted sessions on health and nutrition across the country.

All India Football Federation Technical Director Academies and Director of Coach Education, Scott O' Donell emphasized on the neccessity of Grassroots Football and said, "Grassroots Football is about having fun and that is what AIFF has been doing in the last three years"

"It is imperative that we get more boys and girls playing football, and give them the opportunity to play and expose them to football. The more boys and girls we have playing football, the bigger the base of players we have to choose from in years to come"

"The good thing about Grassroots Football is that it can be played anywhere. And it requires people who are passionate about football and kids to help set up programs", he added.

Furthermore, Hero Indian Super League Clubs (Mumbai City FC, Delhi Dynamos, FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC ), Hero I-League Clubs (Dempo, Bengaluru FC, Mumbai FC, Pune FC, Royal Wahingdoh FC , Salgaocar SC, Sporting Club de Goa, Shillong Lajong FC, Mohun Bagan AC and East Bengal FC) and the State Associations of Maharashtra, Kerala, Manipur, Mizoram, Jammu & Kashmir, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Kolkata, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Chandigarh, kickstarted a total of 87 Grassroots Festivals.

A humungous total of 8003 kids participated in Grassroots festivities spread all across India, symbolizing the importance of the AFC Grassroots Day and extending the outreach of Football throughout the nation.