‘Tata Trusts U Dream Football Programme’ to nurture India’s finest U -15 footballers

As part of this initiative the first batch of 35 kids will receive full-time training in Germany (Europe) for six years, allowing them to advance as professional footballers.

In the process, the programme intends to bring about opportunities for marginalised young children through an integrated learning programme while addressing their educational and skills requirements.

On this occasion, Supratik Sen, CEO, U Sports, said: “The programme will be called Tata Trusts U Dream Football. U Dream Football, together with Tata Trusts, will work towards scaling-up grassroots football development in the country. We will be sending 35 kids this year and will aim to have 150 - 200 kids placed in Europe and another 600 at the Tata Trusts – U Dream Football Centres of Excellence in India.”

“We’re focused on building a holistic ecosystem for football in the country, thereby, raising the standard of the sport in the country. This would be the programme that would progressively offer players from India a chance to play in the best leagues of the world, Bundesliga being the obvious first choice.” he concluded.

The program aims to identify and nurture the innate talents of young children in the nation, beginning with our flagship of setting up nearly 100 grassroots football academies across Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Assam and Nagaland for imparting professional training to children in the age group of 8 - 14 years.

Centres of Excellence will also be established in select states to ensure growth and development of children for state and national level competitions; promote competitive culture in sports; while introducing international standards through state-of-the-art infrastructure and mentorship by world class trainers and coaches.

Emphasising on the significance of the programme, Biswanath Sinha, Associate Director, Tata Trusts, said, “It is a well-known fact that, in comparison to academics, sports often takes the backseat. With the overwhelming talent in this region, we hope that the right mix of academic and sports training will nurture children with excellence and help them scale new heights in the field of football and other sports. This will not only make communities recognise sports as a means to diversified livelihoods, but understand its significance as a catalyst for sustainable development.”

“Tata Trusts U Dream Football programme is one-of-a-kind skill enhancement programme that offers talented young children a unique opportunity to pursue a career in football and gain recognition not only at home, but also on global platforms. We aim to make it a self-sustaining programme in the long run and help our country become one of the leading football playing countries in Asia,” he further added.