AIFF and Odisha renew five-year MoU to expand elite youth football

AIFF and Odisha’s Department of Sports and Youth Services have renewed a five-year MoU to expand elite youth football, strengthening the AIFF-FIFA Talent Academy with structured roles, benchmarks, and pathways to professional football under FIFA’s Talent Development Scheme

Hyderabad: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Department of Sports and Youth Services (DSYS), Government of Odisha, have signed a renewed five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to continue and expand their elite youth football partnership.

The MoU was signed by Dr. Vijay Yeddula, Director of Sports, DSYS, and Mr. M. Satyanarayan, Deputy Secretary General, AIFF. AIFF Technical Director Syed Sabir Pasha was also present.

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The AIFF Deputy Secretary General said, “We are deeply grateful to the Government of Odisha and the Department of Sports and Youth Services for their continued trust and support in renewing this partnership. The results from our first cohort speak for themselves – players who trained at the AIFF-FIFA Talent Academy have gone on to join top academies, represented India at the U17 level at just 15, and we have already seen promising youngsters from Odisha making their mark. This is only the beginning. With this renewed agreement, we are committed to building on that momentum and taking Indian football to greater heights.”

Building on the first MoU signed in November 2023, the AIFF-FIFA Talent Academy has already delivered strong results – a semi-final finish in the U17 AIFF Elite Youth League 2024-25, four players in the India U17 national team setup, and an Odisha girl progressing to the India U19 Women’s National Team – all within two years.

The new agreement establishes a more structured framework with defined roles, governance, performance benchmarks, and financial commitments. Backed by FIFA’s Talent Development Scheme, the academy will continue integrating international development standards, sports science, and clear pathways to professional football.

AIFF will lead the technical and operational aspects of player development, while DSYS will provide institutional, financial, and infrastructure support.