Reliance Foundation Youth Sports
| First event | August 2016 to February 2017 |
|---|---|
| Founder and Chairperson | Nita Ambani |
| Website | Reliance Foundation Youth Sports |
Reliance Foundation Youth Sports or RF Youth Sports or RFYS is an initiative driven by Reliance Foundation, a non-profit and CSR front of the Reliance Group, which focuses on providing a platform for youth sports in India, especially at the school and collegiate level. Currently, eight cities are a part of the foundation’s long-term goal which aims at establishing a sports association, similar to the NCAA of United States of America that controls and collaborates with schools and athletes. In the months and years to follow, it will include various other sports under its umbrella which will see school and college teams and athletes competing with each other at the district, state and national levels for the championship.[1] In 2015, Reliance Foundation had also initiated Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) - a programme [2] to foster football talent in India. The programme was tied to the Indian Super League's eight cities and the respective teams conduct grassroots initiatives to contribute to the RFYC.
Launch
Reliance Foundation Youth Sports was digitally launched on 23 July 2016 by Narendra Modi, the current Prime Minister of India. The launch was live-streamed on the official website.[3] The Prime Minister also interacted [4] with young footballers from eight cities via video conference.
Reliance Foundation Young Champs
Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) is an academy launched in 2015 to provide a pathway for talented young players across India to build successful professional careers in football.[5] On July 2020, the academy based at Navi Mumbai conferred the Two-Star Academy status by the Asian Football Confederation.[6] On October 2020, the first ever batch graduated from the academy and nine among them were signed by various Indian clubs.[7] Aritra Das, Muhammed Basith PT and Birendra Singh were signed by Kerala Blasters while G Balaji and Aqib Nawab joined Chennaiyin FC. The other recruitment consisted Muhammeded Nemil at FC Goa, Thoi Singh at Bengaluru FC, Ayush beChhikara at Mumbai City and Koustav Dutta at Hyderabad FC. Balaji and Nawab's deals are for two years while the other seven players agreed to three-year contracts.[8]
Structure
The Indian School College Sports, or ISCS, under the aegis of Reliance Foundation will be the overseeing body for all school and collegiate sports; organizing, promoting and executing championships at all levels. Starting with football in 2016–2017,[9] RFYS focuses on expanding in the coming years by organizing more sporting events.
The RFYS legislative structure has cabinets and committee members consisting of various members from participating schools and colleges, overlooking the process of participation.
Eligibility
Schools and colleges willing to participate in the initiative start by filling the participation form online, available on the official RFYS website. Post enrolment, the institutions are accepted or rejected based on their eligibility criteria. However, in some cases the right to admission remains with the organisers.
Advisory Board
RFYS has a six-member advisory board[10] consisting of eminent personalities to guide the thought and growth of this initiative. This board consists of Nita Ambani, Sachin Tendulkar, Leander Paes, Saina Nehwal, Professor Dipak Jain and Ranbir Kapoor.
References
- ^ "Reliance Foundation Official Website". Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ "Reliance Foundation - Sports for Development, Charity for Children in India". Reliance Foundation.
- ^ "Sports for National Integration, Says Modi; Launches Reliance Foundation Youth Sports". Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ "PM's address on the launch of Reliance Foundation Youth Sports, via video conferencing". www.pmindia.gov.in. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ Sagnik (4 March 2020). "Finding the next Indian football hero — The Young Champs way". The Bridge. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ "Reliance Foundation Young Champs Conferred Two-Star Academy by AFC". Indian Super League. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ Sportstar, Team. "Nine graduates from first RFYC batch to sign contracts with ISL clubs". Sportstar. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ Desk, Sentinel Digital. "1st Reliance Foundation Young Champs batch set to embark on pro football journey - Sentinelassam". The Sentinel Assam. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Nita Ambani-led Reliance Foundation Kicks-off National Youth Sports Competition".
- ^ "Reliance Foundation kicks-off National Youth Sports competition (official press release)".