Karnataka boys beat Odisha in Khelo India Youth Games, move to semi-final

Karnataka boys notched their second consecutive win in Khelo India Games beating Odisha 3-1 at the Emerald Heights School ground, Indore, Madhya Pradesh. FC Bengaluru United Academy wards Ishaan Raghunanda (21’) and Aditya Kalasur (90’) scored the first and third goal while Abhishek Pawar scored the second goal in the 57th minute of the game. 

In the other Group B game, Bengal and Meghalaya ended in 1-1 draw. Karnataka now top the Group B table with 6 points and move to semi-final round, followed by Meghalaya (4). 

In group A, Punjab made to last four with back-to-back win. The second semis spot in this group will be decided tomorrow between Arunachal Pradesh and Kerala; both teams - with a win and loss are at 3 points. 

Karnataka play their final group game on Monday, February 6, against Meghalaya. 

Praful Kumar to lead Karnataka in the Khelo India Youth Games

Praful Kumar will lead an 18-member Karnataka State U-18 Team for the Khelo India Youth Games 2021 to be held in Panchkula, Haryana from 4th June to 13th June 2022.

The squad left Bengaluru for Chandigarh on 30th May. 

The following players and officials will be representing Karnataka in the event:

Praful Kumar YV (C), Sujay S (VC, GK), Harshit Gowda (GK), Suman S Dev, Yukesh D, Harshit CS, Himadeep Gowda, Madhan TM, Macarton Louis Nickson, Alan Sanjay Xavier, Parishudh Brise, S A Abhiram, Jasir Syed Kazhi, Ajay S Kadam, Ashish Beckham, Sarath Rajkumar, Vishal R, Amogh Gachhi

Shiva Gajendran - Coach

Chandrashekar Rao Chinta - Coach

Sachin Badhade joins as Bengaluru FC U15 coach from Minerva

Bengaluru FC Media 

Bengaluru FC have confirmed the addition of I-League winning coach Sachin Badadhe to the Academy staff, the club announced on Tuesday. The 39-year-old AFC ‘A’ License holder joins the Blues’ residential set up in Bellary after guiding I-League side Minerva Punjab to a third-place finish in Group E of the AFC Cup.

Badhade, who completed his AFC ‘A’ License in 2019, brings in valuable experience to the BFC Academy where he will take charge of the U15 squad. Welcoming him to the Bengaluru-fold, Head of Youth Development, Naushad Moosa said, “It’s great to have Sachin as the Head Coach of our U15 side. He is someone who has experience at both the youth and senior level, and it will help him deal with all the youngsters in the right way. We’ve had a lengthy discussion about the club’s philosophy and what is expected from him. He sounded comfortable and understands his role. Given that the U15 level is an important phase for the players, he will play a crucial role in getting the boys up to speed with the tactical aspects of the game.”

Meanwhile, Badadhe who signed a two-year deal with the Indian Super League champions, was excited at the prospect of working at the extensive set-up at Bellary, “I would like to thank the club management for giving me this opportunity. I am excited and all geared up to work with the most professional club in the country. It won’t be an easy job, but I aim to always give my best.”

“I believe a lot in discipline, and that’s one of the key aspects I’ll look to imbibe on the youngsters. Discipline is important both on and off the field, and once we achieve a good level, all things will work for us from there on. That’s what I’ve learnt coaching at the top level and that’s the aim as we want to get as many players to the top level as possible,” added Badadhe, who is hoping to bring in his continental experience handy in helping the youngsters move up in Bengaluru’s player pathway.  

Having played football locally in Pune and Mumbai, Badadhe turned to coaching in 2014 with the Maharashtra State Police, before joining Bharat FC (2015-16) as a Youth Coach. The Pune-native went on to train Maharashtra’s U17 (2016) and U18 (2017) teams apart from working with Madhya Pradesh’s Pride Sports FC (2016-17).

His big break came in 2017-18 at Minerva Punjab where he won the I-League title as an Assistant Coach before taking over as the Head Coach in 2019 leading them into the AFC Champions League qualifier and the AFC Cup Group Stage apart from the latter half of the I-League.

While Badadhe takes over as the U15 Coach, Ajay Chorge who guided the team to the Junior League finals last season will take over as the coach of the U13 team which will be fully residential in Bellary starting this season. As part of the youth restructuring, the U18 side will now be based in Bengaluru and will train under Naushad Moosa and Sandesh Bhoite forming a major part of BFC B with a view of getting more competitive action at a higher level. 

Bengaluru FC qualify for the final round of U18 Youth League

Bengaluru FC Media 

Bengaluru FC sealed qualification to the final phase of the Hero U18 Youth League with a comfortable 3-0 win over Ozone FC in their final zonal phase game at the Bangalore Football Stadium, in Bengaluru on Sunday. 

A brace from striker Akashdeep Singh (51’, 68’) and a late penalty kick conversion from midfielder Lalrintluanga Chawnglut (90’) handed the Blue Colts their seventh win of the campaign. The result took their tally to 21 points as they qualified for the final phase of the competition as Karnataka-Andhra zone toppers. FC Mangalore who finished second with 16 points will go into the qualifying phase. 

After an end-to-end game in the first half, it was Bengaluru who broke the deadlock in the 51st minute when Akashdeep’s close-range header from Robin Yadav’s freekick from the right found the back of the net. 

With the goal giving Bengaluru FC more confidence going forward, Akashdeep Singh doubled his and the Blue Colts’ tally in the 68th minute when he latched onto playmaker Lalrintluanga Chawnglut’s through ball on a counter attack and rounded off Ozone ’keeper Jeevan Kumar to slot home a left-footer, his 11th of the campaign. 

Bengaluru would have another goal late on as Lalrintluanga made it 3-0 with a calm penalty kick conversion in the 90th minute after Rahul Rajan had been fouled in the rival box by Ozone skipper Rohmingthanga.

U18 Youth League - Bengaluru down rivals Chennaiyin FC 2-1, seal top place to qualify for final round

Bengaluru FC Media

Bengaluru FC came from a goal down to beat neighbors Chennaiyin FC 2-1 in a final round encounter of the Chennai-Karnataka Zone in the Under-18 Youth League at the Bangalore Football Stadium, on Tuesday.

The Blue Colts’ (20 points) sixth win of the campaign also meant they finished three points clear of second placed Ozone FC at the top of the Chennai-Karnataka Zone and qualified for the final round of the competition.

It wasn’t an ideal start for the Blues who conceded early in the first half when Chennayin striker Syed Suhail Pasha controlled an aerial pass and hammered home past Bengaluru custodian Tamal Naskar in the 7^th minute.

Trailing by a goal in the first home game at the Bangalore Football Stadium, the Blue Colts pushed up fiercely in search of the equalizer. The hosts didn’t have to wait long as Biswa Darjee pulled them level in the 24^th minute. The midfielder latched onto a clearance off Ragav Gupta’s cross to smash it into the goal from outside the box.

Bengaluru upped their game in the second half and created more chances than their rivals. Lalnuntluanga hit the post late on in the second half, before substitute Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia finally completed the comeback in the 88th minute. The striker calmly converted from the spot after Ragav did well to earn a penalty and seal the game 2-1 in favour of the hosts.

U18 Youth League: Bengaluru register 5-0 win against Chennai City

Bengaluru FC Media

Bengaluru FC continued their impressive start to their U18 Youth League campaign with an impressive 5-0 win over Chennai City FC in a Round-3 encounter at the BFC Residential Academy Ground in Vidyanagar, on Tuesday.

Having kept complete control of the game, Biswa Kr. Darjee broke the deadlock in the 11th minute before Lalrintluanga Chawnglut (30') and Lalrinfela (44’) made it 3-0 going into the break. Second half goals from Jacob John Kattookaren (75') and substitute Lalengzama Vangchhia (89') wrapped up the Blue Colts' third win on the trot.

The result also took Bengaluru FC's tally to 9 points as they stay top of the Chennai-Karnataka zone.

U18 Youth League: Bengaluru start their campaign with a big margin victory

Bengaluru FC media 

Bengaluru FC began their campaign in the Under-18 Youth League in style with a massive 9-1 win over Raman Vijayan Soccer School at the BFC Residential Academy Ground in Vidyanagar on Tuesday.

In a game that was majorly dominated by the Blue Colts, Lalnuntluanga (25', 47', 61') struck a hat-trick, while Kishori (38', 83') got a brace. Ajay Chhetri (4'), Dawanplielad Myrchiang (71'), Ragav Gupta (78') and Lalrinfela K. (90+1') completed the rout with a goal each. Ganesan U got RVSS's solitary goal in the 24th minute when he cancelled out Ajay Chhetri's opener before Bengaluru FC opened the floodgates.

The win sends the Blue Colts to the top of the Karnataka-Chennai Zone standings with three points and a goal difference of +8.

206 teams to participate in U-13, U-15 and U-18 Youth League

AIFF Media

In pursuit of creating a robust football structure across the length and breadth of the country, the AIFF is encouraging the Grassroots Football. As many as 206 teams will ply their trade across the three different age-group competitions this season which will kick-off in October 2017.

Teams from I-league, Indian Super League, Second Division League (as per last year only), Sports Authority of India and accredited academies under the AIFF Academy Accreditation Program are going to participate in the three separate Youth Leagues (U-13, U-15 and U-18 age-groups).

It'll be the first season of the U-13 Youth League while the U-15 Youth League will fall into its third season.

This is the first instance when the AIFF will implement the 'Homegrown' rule which signifies that each of the 206 teams has to register a minimum number of 6 homegrown players in the squad. A player who is born in the same state where the parent club is registered will be tagged as a 'Homegrown' player.

When 80 teams have already confirmed their participation in the U-15 age group, 70 and 56 teams will take part in the U-13 and U-18 Youth League respectively.

U-18 Youth League Qualifying round is scheduled to start in Chennai, Maharashtra, Kolkata and Delhi at a time on November 20, 2017.

Having the pre-qualifying rounds for U-15 and U-13 Youth League already kicked off in New Delhi, the U-15 and U-13 Youth League qualifying rounds are scheduled to start on October 26, 2017 and October 28,2017 respectively.

Bengaluru reserves gear up for Fukuoka clash

Bengaluru FC Media 

Bengaluru FC’s reserve side will look to put on a good show when they take on Japan’s Avispa Fukuoka U18s in an Asian Football Confederation approved friendly game at the Bengaluru Football Stadium, on Saturday.

U18s Head Coach John Kenneth Raj stressed at the importance of the clash, saying his boys will be looking to put on a show. “Many of our players are new and come into the side wanting to prove a point. Avispa are a strong team and we’ll have to be at our best,” he said.

Speaking at the pre-match Press Conference, Avispa Fukuoka Head Coach, Yusuke Ogura said, “We are very glad to be here for this game. We are looking forward to it and want to win. We haven’t seen Bengaluru FC play but we want to focus on our game and try to do our best.”

“The weather is very nice and cool and we’re comfortable here. It will be very good for the game. Back in Japan it’s summer, so we’re happy to be here. For the players, it’s (to play against foreign teams) a very good experience and will help them a lot,” added Ogura.

Meanwhile, the Blues’ Head of Youth Development John Kila was excited ahead of BFC Academy’s first ever game against an international opponent.

“This is an exciting opportunity for these youngsters. After a year of establishing our academy, we have had the chance to improve our scouting and strengthen the team. A few players have made the progress through from the U16 squad which is a positive sign. Since the season has just started we haven’t had much time to prepare for this game, however, we’re happy with this opportunity as it gives us a chance to assess our squad,” he said. 

U18 I-League: Bengaluru and DSK play out goalless draw

Bengaluru FC Media 

A dominant Bengaluru FC U18 Academy side drew with DSK Shivajians in their opening Group C game of the U18 I-League, at the Barasat Stadium, in Kolkata, on Firday. The Blue Colts dominated proceedings by giving little or no space to their opposition and extinguishing any signs of an attack from he Pune outfit in midfield.

The John Kenneth Raj-coached side had a chance to go ahead in the 30th minute when Amay Morajkar, with only the ’keeper to beat, shot the ball straight into his hands. Sourav TP too came close when he dribbled past his marker and had only the ’keeper to beat. His shot, however was wide off the mark. The Blue Colts’ final chance came from a corner in the final minute, when a ball from Vignesh V fell to an unmarked Sourav who was unable to hit the target.

The Blue Colts face Minerva Punjab Academy in their second Group C clash at the same venue on Sunday.

Bengaluru U-18 team go down to Minerva Academy

Bengaluru FC Media  

Bengaluru FC under 18 team faced Minerva Academy FC from Punjab in the opening match of Rest of  
India A of the U-18 I-League at the Guru Nanak Stadium, in Ludhiana today. 

The lads went down 2-0 to Minerva Academy- a goal from Rohit Jamat in the 24th minute gave Minerva the lead going into the break before Amarjit doubled the advantage in the 82nd minute to settle the tie in favour of the home side. 

Fateh Hyderabad FC (Hyderabad) and Lonestar Kashmir FC (Kashmir) are the other two teams in the Blue Colts’ group, from which only one team will qualify for the final round alongside another from Rest of India B.

Divided into five zones based on their geographical location, 29 teams in this year’s U18 I-League would play on home-and-away basis against each other within the groups. Two teams from each zone will advance to the next stage. With two groups within the Rest of India zone, only one team from the Blues Colts’ group will move forward to the next round. 

The Blue Colts will next face Lonestar Kashmir FC in their second group game on Wednesday.

Squad 

Srijit S., Anthony Thomas, Bill Clinton, Jonathan Piers, Joshua Nallapalli, Prashanth Kalinga, Niraad Bose, Pradeep Ramesh, Nishant Bhatt, Rishabh Agarwal, Pavan S, Shelton Paul, Anto Rushi, Kapil Tyagi, Mayank Hebbar, Kuldeep Singh, Deepak Kumar, Sasurya S, Gaurav Jhangiani and Glenn Sanjay.

Coach/Team Manager: Richard Hood 
Physiotherapist: Illahi Zahoor

[Notice] Girls u-18 coaching-cum-selection camp

KSFA is conducting coaching-cum-selection camp at the Bangalore Football Stadium for under-18 junior girls’ national football championship. 

The coaching-cum-selection camp will be held on September 9, 4 pm - 6 pm, selected girls would be participating the junior national football championship during the first week of October. 

Players born between January 1, 1998 and December 31 2002 are eligible to participate in the coaching-cum-selection camp. 

[NOTICE] SAI Bangalore football trials

Sports Authority of India (SAI) invites budding sports persons for admission to SAI Training Centre, Bangalore for extensive training in football (boys). Selection trial will be held at 7.30 pm, June 19-20 at SAI Training Centre, Hockey Stadium, Shanthi Nagar, Bengaluru-25.

The age range is 12-18 years old and the candidate must be a medal winner in District/State and should have represented school at National-level. 

Candidates are requested to bring the following documents in trial: 

• Original copy of Date of Birth certificate issued by the Panchayat/Municipality/Corporation 
• Sports achievements certificate 
• Class studying certificate from the institution 
• Medical Fitness certificate issued by the Medical Officer
• Passport size photograph - 2 no 
• Photocopy of the above certificates attested by a Gazetted Officer

Participants are requested to appear with proper sports kit. No travelling or dearness allowance (TA DA) would be provided by SAI. 

For further details, contact on this number - 080 22221671.