TFA a gold mine of undiminishing talents: Kalyan Chaubey
Jamshedpur, September 30: The Tata Football Academy (TFA) held its 15th Convocation Ceremony at the Kudy Mohanty Auditorium in Kadma on Monday, marking the graduation of 28 cadets.
Chanakya Chaudhary, Vice-president corporate services, Tata Steel was the chief guest while former TFA Graduate and now AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey was the Guest of Honour of the convocation ceremony.
Also the Joint Secretary of the Indian Olympic Association Kalyan Chaubey, shared his memories as a first batch cadet of TFA while reminiscing good old days at the academy.
“I was part of the TFA’s first convocation in 1995 and I am lucky to be present in the 15th convocation now. Back then, TFA was the only professionally run academy, providing us with European tours where we learned modern football techniques,” he said.
“TFA continues to produce gold, and its value never diminishes,” he stated, emphasizing the academy’s enduring legacy in nurturing football talent across the country.
Chief Guest Chanakya Chaudhary who is also the Chairman of TFA distributed the certificates and mementos to the 28 graduates.
Chaudhary in his speech reinforced Tata Steel’s commitment to sports, noting, “Sports is what binds us. At Tata Steel, we believe in our motto that ‘Sports is a way of life.’ We’re now looking into how we can bring women into sports and continue contributing to the growth of the sport.”
Mukul Choudhari, Chief of Sports, Tata Steel, emphasized TFA’s enduring impact on Indian football, stating, “With 275 cadets trained so far, 148 have gone on to represent India at various levels, with 24 captaining the national team. Additionally, 58% of our cadets have been drafted into the Indian Super League (ISL) since its inception. TFA continues to be one of the best in the country for developing local talent and fostering grassroots initiatives.”
The prestigious award for the Best Gentleman Cadet was presented to Bivan Jyoti Laskar. Jharkhand Football Association secretary Ghulam Rabbani was also present in the function. Tata Steel Adventure Foundation & Sports Academies Head Hemant Gupta delivered vote of thanks.
.While a total of 28 cadets from 7 states graduated from the academy, two cadets represented Jharkhand during the Santosh Trophy. Moreover, two cadets were part of the Jamshedpur FC squad for Durand Cup 2024.
Total 10 cadets of TFA represented Jharkhand State team in the Swami Vivekananda U20 National Football Championship while cadet, Sonam Tsewang Lhokham represented India in the SAFF U20 Championship.
TFA also received AIFF Elite Accreditation in 2022-23 while Chawngthu Lalhriatpuia of Jamshedpur FC promoted to first team.
As far as ISL representation (2024-25) is concerned, 16 ex-cadets will be playing in the Indian Super League. As the 15th batch of Tata Football Academy graduates, these young athletes are now ready to take the next step in their football careers, carrying with them the legacy and values instilled in them during their time at the academy.
In the current Indian Super League (ISL) season, 16 former cadets of TFA are playing for different clubs. Former cadets, Deepak Mandal and Subrata Paul, have been conferred with Arjuna Award in past.
The Tata Football Academy was inaugurated in 1987. A total of 303 cadets have graduated from TFA till date. 149 cadets have represented the country till date which is 49 percent of total number of cadets. 24 cadets have captained Indian football team in various age group tournaments.
Graduating Cadets:
Goalkeepers: Karan Makkar, Mohammad Adnan, Luckystar Lawai, Raj Boro
Defenders: Pallujam Rohan Singh, Sairem Sital Singh, Samuel Muansang, Sanjiv Tudu, Ningthoujam Singh, Zonunpuia, Zlex Mangang, Meraimayum Raju, Sonam Tsewang, Aditya Mukhi, Albish Barla, Amzard Khan, Chungkham Singh
Midfielders: Moirangthem Singh, Remson Ningthoujam, Asem Singh, Laishram Meitei, Lalhatpuia Chawngthu, Rosangzuala, Bhaskar Chhetri, Kaif Ansari
Forwards: Alvies Bastin, Bivan Jyoti Laskar, Preet Sona
