Tata Football Academy holds 12th convocation
Jamshedpur: The convocation ceremony of the 13th batch of cadets of the Tata Football Academy (TFA) was held today at the Michael John Auditorium at Jamshedpur. Nineteen cadets from seven states celebrated their graduation from the academy after a four-year residential training course designed to develop their potential to the fullest. TV Narendran, CEO & MD, Tata Steel, graced the occasion as Chief Guest while Professor Nazm Ansari, President, Jharkhand Football Association, was the Guest of Honour on the occasion.
The graduating cadets have represented the country in various age-group tournaments while five among them have represented the Jharkhand State team. The batch has achieved a lot in the last four years. They have been crowned the winners of the IFA Shield – 2016, Tata Utkalika Football Tournament and JSA League – 2016. They have also been the runners-up of U-18 I League Kolkata.
Sixteen cadets from the team will now be playing for the Jamshedpur Football Club Reserve, while one player will join the main JFC team. One has signed a contract with Indian Super league (ISL) club ATK and one other will play for I-League team.
Chief Guest Narendran handed over the passing-out certificates and mementoes to the cadets in the presence of other senior dignitaries from Tata Steel and TFA.
Speaking on the occasion, Narendran said, �In Tata Steel, sports has been a way of life. My congratulations to all the graduating cadets. To me, it is not about playing football, but playing it well. Cadets are the ambassadors of Tata Football Academy (TFA) and they have made us proud”. He urged the graduating cadets not to forget the coaches who have labored hard to ensure you achieve new heights.
Pointing towards Everester Bachendri Pal, Narendran said that they are legends which show Tata Steel’s commitment towards sports and we don�t do it for corporate branding. This year, we have launched the Jamshedpur Football Club and have received great support from the community. There is a lot of talent over here, we just need to provide opportunities, he added.
‘Russia’s performance in the FIFA World Cup has been extraordinary with the team entering the quarter finals despite its 70th rank is big booster for India which recently touched the double digit rank. We need to discover the talent and create opportunities at the grass root level as there is huge potential in India.
In his address, Ansari said, �We are very proud of having TFA in the State of Jharkhand and we will not leave any stone unturned in providing our support. Let us fly high�.
Addressing the gathering, Sunil Bhaskaran, Chairman, Board of Management, Tata Football Academy, and Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel, said: �We will nurture football talent and aim to create superb professionals for Indian Football�.
Addressing the cadets, Mr Udanta Singh, ex-TFA player who is currently associated with Bengaluru FC, said: �Your career starts now. Play well�.
Cadets who graduated today include-Yendrembam Naresh, Subham Ghosh, Billu Teli, MD Firoz Khan, Swarup Das, Rakesh Yadav, Vishal Das, Mobashir Rahman, Parveen, Ashish Pradhan, Harsha Parui, Md Rafique Ali Sardar, Srinjoy Dutta, Baset Hansdah, Karandeep, Prakash Naik, Vijay Kumar, Thiyam Shrivash Singh and Lara.
Also present at the ceremony were Padma Shri Premlata Agarwal, Hemant Gupta from TSAF, Ravi Radhakrishnan, Mukul Choudhari, R Ravi Prasad and others.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has recognised TFA�s contribution and honoured it with an award for its `Continuous Contribution to Indian Football�. This is a first-of-its-kind recognition to any institution by AIFF.
Unique in Asia, the Academy is geared to molding tomorrow�s winners � a dynamic new breed of footballers � dedicated to performing at international levels of excellence, who embody within themselves the promise of success.
The Tata Football Academy was inaugurated in 1987. A total of 213 cadets have graduated from TFA till date, out of which 141 cadets have represented the country. Twenty-four cadets have captained the Indian football team in various age-group tournaments.
