Regional football academy in city by 2013

NEW DELHI: Chandigarh would be one of the beneficiaries of the plan set afoot by All India Football Federation with FIFA's guidance and support to set up regional academies and an elite academy.
The plan has been finalized following the visit of the two-member FIFA technical team comprising Thierry Regenass and Jean-Michel Benezet. Kerala and Chennai would be the other two beneficiaries.Plans are afoot to get a world-class academy by March 2013.Each academy will house between 30 and 35 boys, who will be selected from the grassroots level in the age group of 13 to 14 after a scouting process from various football schools and school leagues across the country and a selection camp. FIFA is helping in setting up the guidelines for this scouting process.
Regenass is the director, Member Associations and Development Vision, FIFA, and Benezet is technical director.
In phase one of the project, four regional academies would be set up in Bangalore (Goal Project), Kolkata (Pailan World School), Mumbai/Navi Mumbai and Delhi/NCR by March 31 next year. In case the Sikkim Goal Project is fully operational by the end of this year, it may also be added in the first phase itself.
In the next phase (March 2013), academies have been planned in Chandigarh, Chennai and Kerala. The Goa Technical Centre, which currently is used as a training centre for the U-16 and U-19 national teams will continue for the time being, but once the academies are in place, there is a plan to convert the same into another regional academy. Various football schools across the country will be reviewed by the AIFF for certification as a preferred place for scouting talent. The final selection will be done by a team consisting of the technical director, academy manager and head coach, youth development.