More match time for players, refereeing standards discussed during AIFF’s three-day conclave

For the first time, 32 Member Associations (MAs) from across India converged to discuss and deliberate upon the diverse challenges ahead for Indian football in each state.

AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey chaired all the meetings during the three-day conclave. | Photo Credit: IndianFootball/X

The three-day All India Football Federation (AIFF) State Gradation and State-Specific Strategic Plans meetings concluded at the Football House in New Delhi on Thursday with AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey chairing all the meetings.

For the first time, 32 Member Associations (MAs) from across India converged to discuss and deliberate upon the diverse challenges ahead for Indian football in each state.

The discussions, which lasted for three days, amounting to around 25 hours, saw the principal office bearers of the federation listen to the presidents and secretaries of the respective MAs, who were offered the floor for 40 minutes each.

The MAs made detailed presentations of its operations at the state level over the last three years and unfolded its future plans in the next three years while realistically identifying its challenges and advantages.

The AIFF officials also deliberated upon the proposals from the respective state associations for the development of football in their respective states in alignment with the AIFF’s Vision 2047 plan.

Prince Rufus, Lead of Regional Office South Asia, FIFA, who was present in the meeting on all three days, said, “In my two decades with football across various roles, this is the first time the AIFF is actively engaging each of its affiliated units in open discussions and reality checks on the Indian football ecosystem.”

Chaubey said, “Each state and region has its own set of challenges that should be tackled in their own unique ways. The challenges that lie ahead of West Bengal or Maharashtra cannot be the same as those of Ladakh or Andaman and Nicobar.”

“We must ensure that there are state-wise plans for maximum optimisation of development, which will also help Indian football to move ahead in totality,” he added.

The meeting discussed at length the possibilities of gaining financial sustainability for both the AIFF and its MAs. It also agreed that more match time is required for Indian domestic players and discussed how the AIFF and the MAs can restructure the Santosh Trophy or the State Leagues to create more match time.

The federation currently has 13,195 licensed coaches, and 3,616 registered referees for the 2024-25 season.

Another point talked about was whether the coaches should undergo refresher courses for training at the grassroots level, and that the same should be applied to the referees as well.

The meeting deliberated upon the improvement of Indian refereeing in general and felt that this is one area that should be looked into specifically.