AIFF receives good responses for Institutional League

Some well-known institutional teams have shown interest in the upcoming All India Football Federation (AIFF) Institutional League, which will kick off later this year.

Some of the big names who could be seen in action during the tournament include the Border Security Force, Indian Navy, Food Corporation of India, ESIC, Chennai Customs, Comptroller, and Auditor General, Delhi.

BSF was once a crack side, that bagged the Durand Cup seven times during their heydays and produced players like Manjit Singh, Narender Gurung, and many others. Equally strong was FCI, whose line-up once was packed up with players like Atanu Bhattacharya, Krishanu Dey, Bikash Panji, Victor Amalraj, Babu Mani, and many others.

The Executive Committee held extensive discussions on April 14 this year and decided to give similar importance to the structure of amateur football in the country, believing it would raise the competitive level and players' security, the AIFF said in a release.

The winner of the Institutional League might earn an opportunity to compete in a cup tournament at the national level, while a bidding process would decide the participating sides.

The AIFF will engage in a dialogue with the institutional teams eager to participate and prepare a Request for Proposal document. Also, it plans to finalize the teams by mid-October.

A meeting is expected to happen in the August final week where the interested institutions will discuss and address their views, while their feedback and suggestions will be considered to finalize the "conditions and modalities for the selection and conduct of the Institutional League".