200 schools in Arunachal Pradesh tol get football training programme
(Getty)
According to Education Minister Taba Tedir, the Arunachal Pradesh government will shortly begin a campaign to promote football at 200 of the state's schools. The 'Football for School' programme would seek to develop young athletes between the ages of 6 and 13, according to the speaker.
 FIFA and the Union Education Ministry signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to encourage youth football, according to Tedir.
"Every state has been asked to prepare a plan for the initiative. We held a meeting on Monday on the issue. Officers of the Education and Sports departments and members of the Arunachal Pradesh Football Association (APFA) were present in the meeting," he said.
He stated that the programme will get backing from FIFA and the Union Education Ministry. "Schools having playground and physical education teachers will be selected for the initiative. We will also see that schools having more than 50 to 100 children in the prescribed age group are given preference," the minister said.
According to Tedir, the APFA is working on the initiative and plans to implement it in the state with the help of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in December.
Arunachal Pradesh would be the first state in the nation to establish such a programme, according to Kipa Ajay, the Treasurer of the All India Football Federation (AIFF). He anticipated that the programme will aid in the state's growing popularity of football.
