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India’s Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports, Vijay Goel, on Wednesday, October 19 inaugurated the UFLEX Stairs School Football League’s third edition and there shared his vision for sports development in India and outlined the Government’s “Mission 11 Million.”
“The Mission 11 Million aims to train 11 Million children in India on football in the next one year”, Mr. Goel shared. Mr. Goel also highlighted the personal interest shown by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in promoting and developing sports while mentioning Prime Minister’s belief that “Khelega India, Khilega India.”
Appreciating UFLEX STAIRS School Football League’s contribution to support the development of Football in India through such massive league across Delhi and Gujarat, Mr. Goel personally thanked Siddhartha Upadhyay, Founder and Secretary General of STAIRS for his role in promoting football talent in India. Mr. Goel also added “I used to play Khokho, Basketball, Tennis and was in NCC. I advice all of you to play sports with interest and passion. Football teaches sportsmen spirit and brings the country together. We have to develop ourselves strongly as the FIFA Under-17 is all set to take place next year.”
Rajiv Yadav, Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports said, “Our Hon’ble Prime Minister has a vision of football being played in every Indian village. In line with this vision the Mission 11 million program has been planned by the Sports ministry to train 11 million schools students in football from all corners of the country. The Government will work organize Football clinics in schools and support in providing football training and coaching methodologies to strengthen the students on fundamentals of the game.”
“Even the great Swami Vivekananda said that playing football will take you closer to God than praying,” he added while encouraging students to play to the best of their abilities in the UFLEX Stairs School Football League 3. He also thanked and congratulated the UFLEX SSFL 3 team and Siddhartha Upadhyay on holding such an important tournament.
Brand Ambassador of UFLEX Stairs School Football League 3, legendary Cricketer and former captain of Sri Lankan Cricket team, Sanath Jayasuriya echoed the sentiments of Vijay Goel and Vijay Yadav by saying, “First of all I would like to say that Siddhartha and his team are working towards a great cause. Exactly 1 year ago, I was here for the SSFL 2nd edition and I am very happy to be here again for a worthy cause that Siddhartha and his team have been doing. I want to wish them good luck and I want to make sure that they go from strength to strength.”
“For any sport you need to put in lots of hard work, discipline, dedication and you need to sacrifice a lot. This program is going to produce a lot of sportsmen and sportswomen for the country. I wish everyone all the very best”, he added.
Thanking the esteemed guests at the inauguration of the UFLEX SSFL 3, Siddhartha Upadhyay, Founder and Secretary General, STAIRS said, “When we talk about a billion plus population, my question is: how many of them play? There is a need to build the sporting culture at the grassroots, expand opportunities for children and help them discover their love and talent for sports. Stairs School Football League is seen as a game changer in the football journey of the country. Already 35,000 children have been enrolled with SSFL, and the aim is to cross 100,000 footballers on a permanent basis for scouting, training and development. This year we have added STAIRS football academics in various parts of Delhi and plan to open in Gujarat as well. This will further speed the process of producing champions in the country.”
In its third year now, Uflex SSFL – 3 will see more than 30,000 School level footballers from 2,000 schools of Delhi and Gujarat participating in the tournament. The mega sports event will witness 4,000 matches (500 in Delhi and 3,500 in Gujarat) being played. A total of 256 teams comprising 128 teams of under-14 boys and 128 teams of under-17 boys will be participating in the tournament. Apart from the boys’ teams, the tournament will also see avid participation from 32 girls’ teams in under-14 and under-17 categories.
Uflex SSFL-3 begins with league matches at over 8 different venues across four zones in Delhi while the semifinal and final games will be played at a central venue. The event is solely meant for the children under-14 years and under-17 years of age and exactly follows the FIFA World Cup format. All the participating school teams will also have to go through the qualifier rounds. For the 3rd season SSFL will be getting assistance from Sakaar Association for all its matches/ events in Delhi and from Gujarat State Football Association for all Gujarat-based matches.
The league has become one of the most significant ‘talent spotting’ platforms for clubs and bodies seeking to acquire talent right at early adolescence. While many officials and individuals from professional bodies keep their eyes on the budding players during the matches, selectors from international foreign clubs watch ‘live streaming’ of important matches and even call for recorded videos to assess the performance and potential of promising players.
