Combined FIFA-AIFF delegation inspects Gachibowli stadium for its talent academy
Hyderabad: A combined FIFA-AIFF delegation, accompanied by officials from the Sports Authority of Telangana (SATG) on Wednesday visited GMC Balayogi Stadium in Gachibowli in the city.
The delegation comprised of Ged Roddy (FIFA High Performance Expert) Anil Kumar (AIFF general secretary) and A Sonibala Devi, (managing director, SATG).
The purpose of the visit was to assess the suitability of the stadium for FIFA-AIFF Talent Academy. The delegates inspected the sporting infrastructure such as sports facilities, training grounds and accommodation for athletes.
The All India Football Federation is planning to build a robust three-stage country-wide structure for talent scouting and recruitment for its ambitious academy.
Subsequently, the delegation called on Jayesh Ranjan, special chief secretary to the Telangana government, sports department and deliberated on the academy’s plan to create a structured high-performance elite training academy in Hyderabad.
A comprehensive roadmap will be prepared to finalize the project, with FIFA, AIFF, and the Telangana government to set up a world-class football development hub aligned with Vision 2047, an official statement read.
The first elite academy was set up in Bhubaneswar and Hyderabad could become home to the second FIFA academy. AIFF is planning to establish five additional Talent Academies in India.
