India’s largest grassroots competition platform, Sports for All (SFA) has developed a partnership with TV9 Network to promote young football talent in the nation.
SFA will collaborate with the ‘Indian Tigers and Tigresses’ effort, which is a talent quest for Under-14 boys and girls. Young footballers will be able to register for the ‘Indian Tigers and Tigresses’ talent hunt during the SFA Championships, which are presently taking place in Hyderabad.
Over 23,000 youngsters from approximately 400 schools participate in the SFA Championships in Hyderabad. The 2024 edition commenced on October 15 and will end on October 28. The SFA Championships are part of SFA’s bigger mission to professionalise, organise, and commercialise grassroots sports in India. The goal is to foster a strong sports culture and motivate young people to participate in sports via fun and competitive experiences. The 2024-25 Championships will be held in 10 locations throughout India, with 150,000 students from over 7000 schools competing in 31 sports.
The SFA Championships have developed steadily since its start, adding new locations and competitors each year. This cooperation demonstrates the SFA Championships’ reach and influence at the grassroots and participation sports level.
The ‘Indian Tigers and Tigresses’ initiative was unveiled in April 2024 as a collaboration between TV9 and leading football organisations including the DFB (Deutscher Fußball-Bund), DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga (Bundesliga), City of Gmunden, Borussia Dortmund (BVB), the International Football Institute in Germany, and Austria’s Riespo.
Darpan Kumar, Chief Revenue Officer of SFA, said, “We are excited to partner with TV9 and the ‘Indian Tigers and Tigresses’ at the SFA Championships in Hyderabad. This collaboration strengthens our mission to inspire young athletes and promote grassroots sports excellence across India, fostering the next generation of sporting talent.”
Barun Das, MD and CEO of TV9 Network, said, “The News9 ‘Indian Tigers & Tigresses’ initiative is a matter of great pride for us, as it takes football in a whole new direction in India. We envision a future where Indian footballers are given opportunities to be in the global spotlight akin to any of the major footballing nations in the West. This is also one of the pillars that need to be leveraged in India’s ascendancy in the global head table. That starts by giving these players a level playing field, by making football a serious career option for these talented youngsters, and training them to be world-class players from a young age. This is not just about finding out what you are good at – it is about opening doors and lighting up thousands of dreams.”
All football events, as well as 25 other championship sports, will be streamed live on the website Sfaplay.com/live.