The All India Football Federation conducts a scouting programme through a network of scouts spread across the country. Scouts watch for players as per the requirements of the Coach of the respective Indian National Teams (both male and female across age groups). Coaches may invite players to the national camp for further trials based on the recommendations shared by scouts.

Scouting is conducted across competitions conducted by the AIFF viz., Sub-Junior, Junior and Senior National Football Championships (NFC), which are competitions between State-teams; the Sub-Junior, Junior and Elite Youth Leagues, which are competitions between AIFF accredited Academies/Clubs. Scouts may also be present at competitions conducted by District Football Associations and State Football Associations (FA), by University/School Education bodies and by private entities. Further, the National Team Scouting department conducts trials in different states on a periodic basis in association with the respective State FAs. State FAs are encouraged to ensure the attendance of potential talents from all districts within their State at these trials. For Indians living outside India and eligible to play for the national team, the scouting team invites videos and documents on scouting@the-aiff.com.

Aspiring players are strongly advised to continuously participate in local competitions like AIFF Baby League, inter-School, inter-College, etc. in order to increase their chances of selection into the zonal/district/State-level age-category teams. This, in turn, raises the chances of a player being signed by a Club to participate in AIFF Youth Leagues.

Aspiring players and coaches are advised to always stay up to date with activities conducted by their respective State FAs, so that deserving players do not miss out on opportunities to play. Click here for list of State associations.

Players, coaches and parents are advised to stay in touch with the general developments in Indian football by following the AIFF’s official social media pages/handles on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Everyone is also encouraged to watch National Team matches in all categories, whenever possible, so as to become familiar with the technical, tactical aspects and general level of the national team.