AIFF to set up football academy at Kalyani stadium

Impressed with the infrastructure at the Kalyani football stadium in Nadia district AIFF has decided to set up a football academy.

Nadia (West Bengal): Impressed with the infrastructure at the Kalyani football stadium in Nadia district, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has decided to set up a football academy.

"I have been roaming in India since last two months to visit good football ground and infrastructure to establish football academies and the ground of Kalyani stadium is the best in India," said AIFF`s technical director Robert Bann. A six-member AIFF team visited the stadium and was impressed with its infrastructure, swimming pool, gym, residential accommodation and schools for junior footballers. In an overstatement, Bann said that the ground at Kalyani Stadium is worth for European football clubs too. AIFF vice-president Subrata Dutta said that out of four regional academies and one elite academy for under-14 and 17 footballers, one is going to be set up in Kalyani and the only elite academy will be set up at Pailan. They have planned to set up the academies to develop the standard of Indian football and to make the team for Under 17 world football, which is likely to happen in India in 2017, he said. Kalyani Municipality`s chairman Pradip Kumar Sur stated that they will provide all support for the academy. The AIFF team said it was happy with the available infrastructure but will look into details of the construction plan of the stadium. PTI