AIFF Media Team

All India Football Federation President Mr. Praful Patel congratulated the AIFF Elite Academy Players and Staff for their sterling performance in the recently concluded U-18 I-League.

The AIFF Academy boys stayed unbeaten all throughout the Championship as they emerged Champions accounting for Tata Football Academy 2-0 in the final held at the Howrah Stadium, Howrah, Kolkata on Wednesday (February 10, 2016).

Applauding the achievement of the Academy boys, Mr Patel said: “The Academy Programme which we started in 2012 is beginning to pay off and the way these boys played is a clear indication of how a structured Youth Development Programme can raise the bar.”

“These boys consistently defeated the opposition in a convincing manner and I hope other Clubs learn from this and create a structured Youth Development Programme including Academies.”

This is the second consecutive time the AIFF Academy boys lift the title, having won it the previous year.

AIFF General Secretary Mr. Kushal Das also lauded the performance of the boys. “The boys have been a part of the AIFF Academy Programme since 2013. It was this batch (1998 born) who had won many a heart with their possessional Football in the AFC 2014 AFC Qualifiers in Kuwait. We are proud of them,” he told www.the-aiff.com.

“Congratulations to all the boys and staff. Well done.”