The ‘Khelo Bharat Niti’ as a beacon for Indian soccer
Sports activities, as a complete, has gained immense precedence beneath the management and the imaginative and prescient of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and it’s with nice hope that we look ahead to the following 10 years, when India, beneath this imaginative and prescient, might grow to be one of many world leaders within the sporting area. India has efficiently expressed its curiosity in internet hosting the 2036 Olympics, and in preparation and anticipation of this, the nation will undoubtedly have the honour of internet hosting numerous different prestigious worldwide sporting occasions as nicely.
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A big coverage level
The Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 (Nationwide Sports activities Coverage), which was handed by the Union Cupboard on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, marks a coverage milestone in reworking the position of sports activities in constructing a Viksit Bharat. There are a number of points of the coverage that, for my part, ought to lead to a lot appreciation for Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports activities, significantly from the attitude of soccer.
There’s the five-Pillar strategy of the coverage within the context of soccer. First, sports activities excellence — the significance of the nationwide crew’s standing within the world area and the work wanted on that entrance. Second, sports activities for social improvement — the position of soccer in sports activities for improvement and inclusion. Third, sports activities for financial improvement — how soccer can contribute to trade and progress by means of occasions, manufacturing and jobs. Fourth, sports activities as a individuals’s motion — group sports activities. Fifth, sports activities in schooling — soccer in colleges.
In terms of the efficiency of the nationwide crew, there may be one space within the coverage which we have now labored on actively — entry to expertise in India’s diaspora and I’m joyful that the coverage has reference to the topic.
This can be a optimistic assertion of intent and the All India Soccer Federation (AIFF) will proceed to work with the Fédération Internationale de Soccer Affiliation (FIFA) and the federal government to do the whole lot doable to strengthen the nationwide crew.
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The topic of OCI expertise
For some years there was a vociferous demand for the inclusion of gamers with Abroad Residents of India (OCI) playing cards within the nationwide crew. We’ve got seen international locations corresponding to Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Center Jap Nations, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and people in Europe faucet naturalised gamers with twin citizenship to strengthen their groups.
Some clarifications within the Indian context could be useful at this stage. As within the FIFA Statutes, a participant should maintain a passport of a nation she or he needs to characterize and should produce it on match day. Whereas an OCI card grants sure social and financial rights to a person, it’s not equal to an Indian passport. On condition that India’s legal guidelines don’t present for twin citizenship, it’s for India to strategise the way it might capitalise on the chance to entry the expertise throughout the diaspora and combine these gamers into the nationwide crew in line with FIFA rules in addition to Indian citizenship regulation. The coverage course supplies a ray of hope and we’re intent on exploring it to its logical conclusion.
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Colleges and soccer
On the grass-root degree, the AIFF has plans in place to make sure the progress of gifted people from eight years of age proper as much as the senior degree. On the lowest age class (eight to 10 years) soccer has been made accessible for kids. Once they progress to the age group of 12 to 13 years, they’re launched to competitions. As they additional transfer on to the U17 and U18 ranges, they get excessive efficiency coaching after which on to the U18 and U20 ranges, the place the transition from youth to skilled degree. Such processes wouldn’t be doable with out the assistance of amenities of colleges, and we thank the Minister for Schooling, Dharmendra Pradhan, for having facilitated the alignment of the Nationwide Schooling Coverage with the Nationwide Sports activities Coverage.
By the FIFA Soccer for Colleges (F4S) programme, we have now efficiently made that hyperlink logistically possible, bringing the gorgeous sport to over 1,53,000 colleges — over 9,26,000 footballs are being distributed. That is how soccer is being made accessible on the U8 degree.
I firmly consider that India’s Nationwide Sports activities Coverage aligns with Nationwide Schooling Coverage which is able to catalyse a brand new period of transparency, accountability, and inclusivity in Indian sports activities.
I want to thank the Prime Minister for his imaginative and prescient to make Bharat a sporting nation.
Kalyan Chaubey is President, All India Soccer Federation
Printed – July 07, 2025 01:12 am IST
