By Joseph Solomon,

AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: The FIFA-State Development Workshop which aims to impetus the growth of Indian Football by developing the State Associations as part of the AIFF Pilot Project concluded today (December 11, 2015) at the AIFF Headquarters in the Capital.

The informative workshop was attended by representatives of six State Associations and was conducted by a six member FIFA Delegation led by Senior FIFA Development Manager, Mike Pfister. Over the course of two days the FIFA Delegation fed the representatives with knowledge ranging from marketing to the technical aspect of the game in order to achieve a streamlined setup which will benefit Indian Football in years to come.

Reflecting on the two day Workshop, Mike Pfister said, “With the demography of India and the masses present, it is imperative for the State Associations to develop in context to Football and this Workshop has helped us prioritize action points for the States”

“The State Associations showcased a very strong commitment and passion towards Football. And that is why this Seminar was an excellent kick-off for working very closely with the State Associations”, Pfister added.

The six member FIFA Delegation not only held informative sessions for the representatives of the six State Associations but also held one-on-one sessions with each and every State Association present in order to achieve a detailed roadmap for the future.

“If the AIFF Pilot Project plan is implemented successfully then Indian Football will grow on all levels”, Juerg Nepfer, Head of Education and Technical Department FIFA told www.the-aiff.com.

“In order to achieve that, it is imperative for State Associations to be empowered and therefore this Workshop was aimed at just that”

When inquired about the time period for the results to be evident, Juerg opined, “It will take time and even 5 years is too early, but you never know. Football in unpredictable and anything can happen”

“The State Associations involved in the Workshop have showed a lot of dedication and who knows what the future holds”, Juerg smiles.

Dr.Shaji Prabhakaran, FIFA Regional Development Officer who was also one of the members of the FIFA delegation dubbed the Workshop as a “pathway to the future of Indian Football”

“Through rigorous and intense sessions we have helped the State Associations zero-down on the pathway in their respective quests to develop Football in their respective regions”

“The onus now lies on the State Associations to implement, develop and harness the strategies taught to them in the Workshop in order to extend the outreach of the beautiful game”, Dr.Shaji informed.