With ambitious plans and plenty of hope, the Kerala Football Association launched its new Kerala Youth Development Project in Kochi on September 23 evening.
Five quality teams, in various age groups from under-13 to under-21, will figure in the league which will be held in the State’s 14 districts. Fifty players from each league will be picked and given quality training.
The KFA hopes the league will produce around 200 quality players who may go on to play for the Indian Super League, I-League and other leagues. This, the association hopes, will change their lives.
The youth league will also see the return of the Chakolas Gold Trophy after 40 years. The Chakolas Trophy was a prominent all-India men’s tournament which was last played in 1983.
The Asian Football Confederation general secretary Windsor John unveiled the league’s trophy while Kerala Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman launched the league’s logo. The All India Football Federation secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran, KFA president Navas Meeran and secretary P. Anilkumar were among those who spoke during the event.
