Chennaiyin FC, Norwich City kickstart inter-school football competition in Chennai

Chennaiyin FC, partnering with Norwich City FC, will host the CFC-NCFC Inter-School Football Championship 2025, focused on advancing grassroots football in Tamil Nadu.

To be held at MCC School in Chetpet, the competition starts Friday (January 24), featuring 64 total teams competing in the Under-12 and Under-14 categories, also providing the players a platform to showcase their skills to club academy scouts.

With the additional support of the Reliance Foundation, the tournament is part of a wider partnership initiated in April 2024 between Chennaiyin FC and Norwich City FC, focused on talent cultivation, promoting a vibrant football culture in the area, and enhancing the grassroots development of the sport.

Furthermore, committed to fostering young talent, the organizers aim to make this tournament an annual event, reinforcing their shared vision for the long-term growth of football in Tamil Nadu.

“In the future, we aim to expand this initiative beyond Chennai. Gradually, we envision making this a Tamil Nadu-wide championship,” said CFC’s Head of Marketing, Neel Jayaram at a press conference on Monday.

“Our vision over the next decade is to see more Tamil Nadu players representing Chennaiyin FC,” he added. 

“CFC scouts will be present throughout the tournament to identify promising talents and integrate them into our youth development programs.

The goal is to nurture players who can follow in the footsteps of success stories like Mohanraj and Samik (Mitra),” he added.

Grassroots football is the bedrock of nurturing young talent, offering a vital platform for discovery and development.

Highlighting this, Rajat Guha, Chennaiyin FC's First Team Goalkeeping Coach, emphasized the importance of early engagement and structured opportunities for budding players.

“Grassroots football always helps us identify talent at a very early age. It is like the foundation of a building. So if you want to find a good footballer, you have to catch them young. This tournament will provide these kids with such opportunities and proper, competitive playing time,” said Guha.

Beyond competing for the title, the teams that emerge victorious will enjoy the unique chance to attend a Chennaiyin FC match, gaining insight into the professional football scene.