SAI, AIFF join hands for development of football

New Delhi: Sports Authority of India (SAI) and All India Football Federation (AIFF) have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding for the development of the game.

The MoU, signed in Bangalore in the presence of Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday, created a detailed roadmap for close partnership between the AIFF and the government for the development of football and extending the outreach of the sport.

It outlined the basic framework of cooperation which spreading across the strands of coach education, talent identification, talent development and optimal utilization of infrastructure, a release from SAI said.

Sonowal said the signing of the MoU was a significant step in the development of football.

"It is an important occasion for Indian football and it is a matter of great pride that the SAI is entering into collaboration with the AIFF," he said.

The collaboration will be mutually beneficial for both parties, as it focuses on coach education, talent development and talent identification, which will be an optimal progression for Indian football in future.

"The relationship between SAI and AIFF goes beyond giving grants. And will focus on the development of football from the grassroots," SAI Director General Injeti Srinivas said.

"It is imperative to develop quality infrastructure and quality training and coaching methods for the rapid progress of the national team. And for this the inception of training centers will be witnessed shortly," he said.

One SAI stadium and a few SAI training sites have already been provisionally approved for use during the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in India in 2017.