AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: One of the main focuses of the revolutionary Baby Leagues is to promote development of talent from a young age by providing competitive experience to the youth involved in the Baby Leagues.

But with the All India Football Federation already running the U-13 and U-15 I-League the pathway becomes much clearer for a young talent wanting to make it big at the global stage.

“Baby Leagues address the neurological, physiological and psychological foundation that are absolutely necessary for establishing global benchmarks in individual game competencies”, said AIFF’s Head of Player Development Richard Hood. “This process is happening on the cement pitches in Brazil, mud pitches of Argentina or Africa or in the world-class facilities of the best clubs in Europe. By not providing the platforms of productive engagement at the right ages in the appropriate time frames we tend to fight science and logic. This delay heavily affects the development of potential in an individual”

“In the presence of these engagement platforms, we will always have varying levels of influence of experts, competent mentors, family and culture that will see an identity emerge”

Richard Hood believes that with time, the identity of Indian players grown through the ranks of the Baby Leagues will be obvious at the global stage and propagating Indian players on the global stage in their own identity is also the League’s main objective.

“This identity over the years will become increasingly obvious in how players express themselves on the ball, the physicality that they apply to the game, their mindset in terms of dedication, aggression, applied game intelligence or for that matter in terms of the conduct and professionalism that encircles their lives away from the game”

“This identity is a non-tangible to see our players play for the important championship winning teams in other Asian countries and continents”, said Hood.