All India Football federation or AIFF is the governing body of football clubs and associations in India. The organization was established in 1937. This shows the craze of football in India. From the British Era, the games football and cricket are engraved into the soul and history of Indians and Indian culture. The federation was also one of the founding members of Asian football federation, the body overlooking the football matches in the entire asian continent.
The All India Football Federation governs all the Men and Women football matches on the National level. The association governs matches in Indian Super League, I-league and Super cup. AIFF also manages local football tournaments and competitions between the two clubs.
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History of AIFF (All India Football Federation)
Before the formation of AIFF, the only governing body for football in India was IFA (Indian Football Association). IFA was mainly ruled by English members and was mainly centered in the Bengal region. In order to spread the love of football throughout the country and to bring all the football clubs under one roof, all the conflicts were resolved in the year of 1937 and the All India Football Federation was established in June 1937.
After the launch of the All India Football Federation in 1937, the Indian National Football team was formed in the year of 1948. In the same year, the team participated in the 1948 summer Olympics. In 1950 the Indian National team qualified for the FIFA world cup. But, however, the team withdrew from the tournament due to lack of funding and other unavoidable circumstances. AIFF also played an active role in spreading football in Asia and was one of the founding members of the Asian Football Confederation. In 1977, the AIFF started the Federation cup, which was the first national tournament under the federation. In 1996 AIFF started the first football league in the country the National Football League (NFL). Various state associations are now working under AIFF.
Development activities at All India Football Federation
At AIFF a lot of fundamental development for football and training activities for different levels like goalkeeping, coach, refereeing and other activities to train the youth take place. This helps the interested youth in choosing the right area in which they are interested in the game and then receive professional training. The different areas in which professional training is provided are as follows
Coach development course
The football federation runs a lot of courses for the development of a coach. These courses include the following courses
- AFC C-Licence course
- AIFF D- Licence course
- AFC B-Licence course
- AFC A Licence course
- AFC Pro Licence course
AIFF-D Licence course
The AIFF-D Licence course is the introductory program for coaching course. The course includes teaching the basics of football coaching. The course duration is 6-days. The criteria for this course are as follows
- The candidate should have experience of game
- Should know the rules and regulations of the game
- The candidate should be examined by an MBBS doctor and declared fit
- Should have the knowledge of English as a communication skill.
- Participants should be committed to coaching
- It is compulsory for all participants to attend all classes
- The candidate should bear all the cost for coaching and study material
AFC C- Licence course
AFC C-Licence course aims at training the candidate and developing their basic techniques and skills for coaching. The course lasts 13days and requires 85 hours of total study time of practical and theoretical sessions.
- The candidates should have AIFF-D Certificate
- They should be examined by a Medical examiner
- The candidates should be serious about their coaching career
- Participants should have knowledge of English
- It is compulsory for all the participants to participate in all the sessions
AFC B-Licence course
The AFC B-Licence course provides advanced training for coaching sessions. The candidates should possess the certificate for C-Licence course. The course requires 20 days of training and 107 hours of practical and theoretical training.
The course requires
- Coaching experience of minimum 2 years
- Log book (minimum 60 coaching hours)
- Valid Licence
AFC A-Licence course
For the A-Licence course the candidate should have a certificate for both C and B- Licence and the selection is made on the basis of recommendation from other instructors. The course duration is 27 days with a minimum 148 hours of theoretical and practical training. The main requirements for this course are
- Licence certificate for C and B-Licence course
- Coaching experience of minimum 1 year
- Log book (minimum 80 coaching hours experience)
- Valid Licence
AFC pro-licence course
This course aims at producing national level coaches to train the ultimate players. For this course the candidate must have an AFC A-Licence course. It is a complex course. One needs to pass 4 modules and at least work hard for 380 hours. You have to also submit a dissertation of 5000 words. The minimum requirements for this course are as follows
- Mental fitness
- Literacy in English
- Association with any national team
- Certificate of AFC A Licence
- Log book (minimum 100 coaching hours)
The association also provides Glassroots football classes for kids of young age group between 6-12 years of age to give them professional world class football training. They also concentrate on youth development and have a program called NYDP for providing professional as well as recreational football for young minds. This program will provide a good platform for youngsters who want to become professional footballers as well as for those who want to play football for recreation purposes. They provide a fun filled environment for players at the grass root football classes to engage more and more kids in the game. Then in the youth development program on junior level that is from 13 years onwards they concentrate more on professional training.
The association also offers a ton of elite and professional courses in all aspects of Football and is keen on producing all rounders.
Professional games and tournaments
AIFF is responsible for managing professional football games in India. The three main tournaments that they manage are I-league, Hero Indian Super League and Hero Super cup. They also manage a lot of national as well as international tournaments for men and women. These tournaments are as follows
Various tournaments for women
- Hero gold cup
- Hero Indian women’s league
- SAFF women’s championship
- Hero Junior girls National football championship
- Hero Sub Junior girls National football championship
- Senior women’s National football championship
Various tournaments for men
- AFC Asia Cup
- International friendlies
- SAFF U-15 championship
- SAFF U-18 championship
- Hero Santosh trophy
- AFC U-19 championship
- Hero Sub-Junior National Football Championship
- FIFA cup
AIFF Admission procedure
Academies and people who are interested in getting admission in AIFF should apply on the following link https://www.the-aiff.com/media/uploads/2020/01/AIFF-Academy-Accreditation-Rules-Regulations-2020-21.pdf and send the form along with a demand draft of 25,000 on the address given on their site.
So, this is all about the All India Football Federation. If you know anything more about it do let us know in the comment section.
