Tata Football Academy holds 12th Convocation

July 6, 2018

OdishaLIVE Bureau

Convocation ceremony of 13^th batch of cadets of the Tata Football Academy (TFA) was held recently in Jamshedpur.

The convocation ceremony of the 13^th batch of cadets of the Tata Football Academy (TFA) was held recently at the Michael John Auditorium in Jamshedpur. Nineteen cadets from seven states celebrated their graduation from the academy after a four-year residential training course.

Mr. TV Narendran, CEO & MD, Tata Steel, graced the occasion as Chief Gues twhile Professor Nazm Ansari, President, Jharkhand Football Association,was the Guest of Honour on the occasion.Mr. Narendran handed over the passing-out certificates and mementoes to the cadets in the presence of other senior dignitaries from Tata Steel and TFA.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Narendran said: “In Tata Steel, sports has been a way of life. My congratulations to all the graduating cadets. To me, it is not about playing football, but playing it well. You are the ambassadors of Tata Football Academy (TFA). This year, we have launched the Jamshedpur Football Club and have received great support from the community. There is a lot of talent over here, we just need to provide opportunities”, he added.

The graduating cadets have represented the country in various age-group tournaments while five among them have represented the Jharkhand State team. The batch has achieved various laurels in last four years like winning IFA Shield – 2016, Tata Utkalika Football Tournament and JSA League – 2016. The team were runners up at U18 I League Kolkata.

Sixteen cadets from the team will now be playing for the Jamshedpur Football Club Reserve, while one player will join the main JFC team. Two others will play for other professional teams. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has recognised TFA’s contribution and honored it with an award for its `Continuous Contribution to Indian Football’. This is a first-of-its-kind recognition to any institution by AIFF.

In his address, Mr Ansari said:“We are very proud of having TFA in the State of Jharkhand and we will not leave any stone unturned in providing our support. Let us fly high”.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Sunil Bhaskaran, Chairman, Board of Management, Tata Football Academy, and Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel, said:“We will nurture football talent and aim to create superb professionals for Indian Football”.

Addressing the cadets, Mr. Udanta Singh, ex-TFA player who is currently associated with Bengaluru FC, said:“Your career starts now. Play well”.

The basic objective of Tata Football Academy (TFA) is to provide the mainstream national football with a perennial pool of young footballers trained and oriented to international standards.Budding talent is scouted from across the country in the age group of 14 years, trained for four years and fed to the mainstream after graduation and at the expiry of a conditional contract, to seek a career in professional football.

The Tata Football Academy was inaugurated in 1987. A total of 213 cadets have graduated from TFA till date, out of which 141 cadets have represented the country. Twenty-four cadets have captained the Indian football team in various age-group tournaments.

The following cadets have graduated this year: