IKF extends partnership with Ladakh Football Association to scout grassroots talent

New Delhi, Oct 13 (IANS) India Khelo Football (IKF) which is connecting the country's football grassroots talent with the professional football ecosystem has extended partnership with Ladakh Football Association (LFA) to host trials in Leh and Kargil for boys and girls under ages of 13-17.

For aiding the aspiring players, IKF -- a non-profit organization -- has built the first-of-its-kind platform where multiple ISL clubs, I-leagues and international scouts come under one roof to scout the best-in-class football talent across the country through a democratised and open talent identification process.

With IKF's inception in 2020, the first season was held in 17 plus cities and witnessed an enrollment of 3000 participants in which around 200 enrollments were from Leh and Kargil.

IKF season two trials have already witnessed 2500+ enrollments in the first 9 cities. IKF is ready to go to Leh and Kargil on October 23 and 25 respectively and one can register online or offline at Spituk Football Stadium for the trials, a release said.

It further said that selected boys and girls will qualify for IKF pre-finals and national finals, where ISL and I-League teams will come under one roof to scout the untapped talent pool in the country. Shortlisted players from the national finals will also get a chance to win free trials in Europe.

IKF will be going to 12 more cities like Andaman, Imphal, Thrissur, Coimbatore, Chennai, etc throughout the November-December timeframe.

The organisation will be publicly releasing a summary report of all kids selected from the city trials. This report will showcase a player's rating for multiple attributes based on his/her playing position.

"Recognition through IKF for the talent pool in Leh & Ladakh will help in enriching the football culture and open so many opportunities for these talented kids. Ladakh's interest in Football has seen an exponential rise in the last decade especially due to the recent developments regarding Football within the region with the new turf," said Tsering Angmo, Secretary of the Ladakh Football Association.

"We have been associated with India Khelo Football since its inception and it has accelerated interest as well as renewed hope for the kids who want to make a career in the game," it added.

Excited to host trials again in Ladakh, Nirja Shekhwat, Founding Member and Head of Operations at India Khelo Football said, "Last Season, we realised that Ladakh has a remarkable football talent pool with piquing interest in the game. We are delighted to make our way again this year to provide the kids with our platform to get scouted in the Indian Football ecosystem or make their way to Europe. We are grateful to our partners and team, with all the volunteers who make our trial outreach a success."

"With FIFA women's world cup embarking on India's Football journey worldwide, we are set to upskill, train, and scout the best Indian Football talent who are the future of Indian Football," he added.

According to IKF, during the national finals for season 1 at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi, 104 plus finalists performed in front of ISL, I-League, and international scouts, out of which 20 finalists were selected for trials by ISL & I-League clubs. A total of seven kids with the utmost potential are gearing up for trials in Spain free of cost.