Dream Sports Championships: Eight teams battle for U-17 national glory

On a hot Saturday morning, the most promising young footballers of the country gathered in the city of dreams as the National Finals of the prestigious Under-17 National football competition conducted by the Dream Sports Foundation (DSF) kicked-off with much gusto.

After grueling rounds of regional competition that witnessed 37 teams battle for supremacy in Mumbai, Delhi, Goa, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Shillong between April 1 and 18, eight teams have now earned the coveted ticket to the National Finals.

And for the next week, all roads in Mumbai will lead to the CIDCO Ground, Kharghar for the Group stage matches as East Bengal FC, Mumbai City FC, Football 4 Change, Lah Bet FC, Roundglass Punjab FC, Chennaiyin FC, FC Goa and Dempo SC battle for the coveted Under-17 National Football crown.

The National Finals

The National Finals will be a week-long affair that begins today and culminates at the Cooperage Football Ground in Mumbai on June 7.

The eight-finalists have been divided into two pools and the winner of each pool shall play the final on June 7. All matches of the national leg are being broadcast live on the Fancode mobile app and website.

Curated by DSF, the philanthropic arm of the Dream Sports Group, the Dream Sports Championship is the IP for all competitions and leagues that DSF will hold with this U-17 National Football tournament being the first edition. It is being conducted with a goal of delivering well-organized, high-quality tournaments that offer regular competitive match practice for the development of lower age group athletes.

Several firsts

This first edition - one of just two National Club Competitions for the U-17 age group - has received great feedback from the football community.

Besides a professional setup, live streaming and qualified referees, this tournament also has AIFF scouts present to identify talents for the AIFF National Team Camp. The eventual goal is, needless to say, groom these talents for the Indian National Team.

Bhavit Sheth, COO & Co-founder, Dream Sports said, “We believe that the path to creating world class champions is by building long term and sustainable programs. In addition to our already existing grassroot training and mentorship programs, we have now added high quality competition and avenues for early talent identification via Dream Sports Championship. This platform will help scouts tap into India’s vast potential at an early stage and groom potential talent. We are thankful to AIFF for its support and look forward to DSC becoming a springboard for identification of future national champions.”

Cash incentives and other perks notwithstanding, the opportunity to climb the ranks of domestic football should serve as motivation enough for the youngsters to put their best foot forward and prove their mettle.

Promising players

The one player that scouts and selectors will watch closely is Neev Chhipa, who shone through the regional-leg for Mumbai City FC. Not only did the youngster score four times to finish joint top scorer, he also provided the most assists - three.

Likewise, Chhipa's teammate, Mushub Bin Yakoob, is another name that would be on the watchlist. Yakoob starred with three goals in the regional-leg of the competition. And then there is East Bengal FC's Ajay Sahani, who incidentally finished alongside Chhipa as joint top scorer with four strikes to his name.

Similarly, Taj Khan of Chennaiyin FC caught everyone’s attention with an inspiring hattrick in their first match. And it wasn’t just the strikers that starred, goalkeeper Oinam Abin Singh put in multiple spirited displays. Turning out for Law Bet FC, Singh did not concede a single goal in three-matches in the regionals.

Should all go per plan, these lads could well become household names in the future.

Grassroot interventions

DSF - in line with the DS Group’s ethos of Making Sports Better - is one of the rare CSR foundations focusing solely on the sporting ecosystem.

Over the last six-years, the foundation has curated and implemented high impact long-term athlete development (LTAD) and grassroots sports interventions. Some of these initiatives include DreamGold, Legends of Indian Sports, Back-on-Track (BoT) and Upskilling.

DreamGold supports over 30-athletes, including stalwarts such as Nethra Kumanan (India’s first woman sailor to qualify for the Olympics), Sreeja Akula (Commonwealth Medalist and World No 38 in TT), Jyothi Vennam Surekha (Asian Games gold medalist in Archery).

The Legends of Indian Sports program is conducted at academies run by Dilip Vengsarkar, Mary Kom, Karnam Malleswari and Bhaichung Bhutia, where over 200 young athletes train and receive educational support. DSF’s ‘Dream Again’ program looks at upskilling athletes, coaches and PE teachers to ensure future employability in the sporting ecosystem.

Mission 2036

If these initiatives weren’t significant already, DSF has now drawn up a long term vision with the 2036 Olympics in sight.

They have prioritized investments in sports science and sports technology to ensure athletes are at the peak of their physical and mental prowess before and during competitions.

Clearly, DSF is leaving no stone unturned with all of this done with the sole north star being medals for India at the Olympics.