First women's residential football academy inaugurated by La Liga and Vincent Ferrer Foundation

La Liga and the Vincente Ferrer Foundation have come together to provide a platform for rural women in India to hone their football skills. Through the Rural Development Trust, they have set up India's first residential football academy for girls which is located in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh.

This academy will not just be involved with football and will provide ample opportunities to the 20 selected girls to receive enhancement in social skills and computer classes. They will also be given enrollment in certain schools around the area along with a year-long financial scholarship. The main focus will be on ensuring they get adequate training in football under well-qualified coaches who will be guiding them round the clock. The focus of the programme is on children who are under the age of 15 and who have minimal opportunities to play the Beautiful Game.

Anna Ferrer, the President of the Ferrer Foundation stated that "We firmly believe that when children are given equal opportunities, regardless of their gender and social class, each of them is capable of achieving things that help them grow. This same conviction, combined with the support of LaLiga and the LaLiga FOUNDATION, allowed the Rural Development Trust to gradually reach this stage of creating the first residential women's football programme,".