AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: The first-ever FIFA Capacity Building Workshop for State Associations, organized by the AIFF, came to an end on Friday (September 27, 2019). The two-day workshop featured participants from 10 state associations, all of whom unanimously gave a big thumbs-up to the event.

 

Mr. Subrata Dutta, Chairman of the Indian Football Association (West Bengal) and Senior Vice President, AIFF, was one of the 20 participants and called the workshop a "very good initiative".

 

He said, "The development & promotion of football in the states and union territories is a necessity. This capacity building program for state FAs is a very good initiative and I thank FIFA for their support. I am sure the state FAs will benefit immensely from this exercise and look forward to such endeavours in the future as well."

 

Mr. M Satyanarayan, the General Secretary of the Karnataka State Football Association, hailed the event as "fantastic", saying, "It is a fantastic initiative. We had inputs from experts from FIFA and I hope more such gatherings keep taking place regularly. We found a lot of constructive criticisms and exchange of views - which is something that we really need."

 

Meghalaya Football Association Executive Committee Member and Treasurer Mr. Wanshanbor R. Kharkrang shared his thoughts on the workshop and stated that it will help take football forward in India. 

He expressed, "I thank FIFA & AIFF for bringing this platform where the state associations can come together, share their thoughts and learn from each other. The main objective is to take the sport forward and I believe that after the deliberations we have had in the last two days, all the associations will go back and have a relook so as to ensure they are in sync with the ideology and vision of the AIFF."

The workshop covered a wide array of topics - from grassroots and youth football to marketing to women's football, and featured activities such as group discussions, where all participants presented and discussed their ideas with great vigour.

Mr. Dutta stated laid special emphasis on the marketing aspect, saying it will help the state FAs become self-sustainable. He said, "The group discussion on the marketing of various events - it will help the State FAs to raise sponsorships and the knowledge gathered would give them the impetus to market their tournaments & events well, and take steps towards becoming self-sustainable."

The event featured a presentation on the future of state development by AIFF Technical Director Mr. Isac Doru, which was lauded by the participants. Mr. Satyanarayan said, "I see a lot of hope in Mr. Isac Doru. Seeing his presentation, one can say he has already understood the way we work, our culture and the problems we face. I feel he can contribute immensely in the development of Indian football."

Another project which was discussed was FIFA's Football for Schools programme and Mr. Kharkrang said that it had a lot of potential and is something that is needed to be looked into. "The school programme is one aspect that we really need to look at if we are looking to develop the sport, especially women's football. My personal opinion is that at the school level, the security and convenience part is much better for parents. Having activities within the school campus is something that we can do immediately," he mentioned.