WIFA awarded the Best Grassroots Development Program 2014 by AIFF

WIFA awarded the Best Grassroots Development Program 2014 by AIFF

Western India Football Association (WIFA) Maharashtra Grassroots initiatives have been awarded the Best Grassroots program for 2014 by All India Football Federation and FICCI at the Goal 2015 India Football Summit, 3rd International Convention on Football Business.

‘Seeing Mizoram grab the Grassroots Award last year we analysed our program and took account of the changes needed to be made. We drafted a plan to improve the coaches (leaders) in Grassroots’, informed Mr. Souter Vaz Hon. Secretary WIFA.

WIFA conducted four Grassroots program out of which three were fully funded by the state association which enabled WIFA to spread the grassroots leaders in each and every part of the stage.

‘Our partnership with Football Federation of Australia (FFA) has helped us tremendously in our efforts to improve grassroots’, said Mr. Henry Menezes, Chief Executive Officer, WIFA.

WIFA have appointed a State Development Officer (SDO) to work and plan with the District Football Associations (DFA) and organise Grassroots Activities. Response from the DFA has been tremendous ever since.

‘We would also like to thank the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Aurangabad which gave us the opportunity to hold the Grassroots Leaders Courses for all our districts’, said Mr. Henry Menezes, Chief Executive Officer, WIFA.

‘We really took a different approach towards our grassroots, we flooded the state with the coaching courses. WIFA Grassroots is a brand in the state now. It has its own logo which the grassroots leaders, players, parents and clubs in Maharashtra relate to. We have aggressively targeted inclusion of participants coming from various backgrounds of society and cultures,’ said Mr. Ronak Dalal, Head – Marketing and Operations, WIFA.