In an effort to boost the football culture in the state, Assam is geared up for its first ever structured football league for children in the age group of 6 to 13 years.
Sports management company Sportscraft Management and Guwahati City Football Club (GCFC) in a pressmeet on Tuesday announced the Greater Guwahati Baby League (GGBL) which will be organised with support from the Assam Football Association (AFA).
Speaking in a press conference, Sportscraft and GCFC's co-founder Darick Ranjan Deka said, the league is set to start from next month, which will be organised under the rules and regulations of AIFF's Baby League project.
The GGBL has already got the green signal from the AIFF, he added.
The 6 to 13-year-old children will be divided into four age categories (6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13) and they will play every weekend, said Deka.
"The objective is to bring these children to the field regularly, create football culture, give these young footballers experience of professional football, give them enough competitive time every season and bring out the best when they reach the age of 13 as this is the age when kids become ready to be professional footballers," Deka said.
"We want to provide those seven crucial years to our children which is often missed out because of lack of such youth leagues," Deka added.
Schools, clubs, societies, companies, individuals of greater Guwahati area can participate in the league by forming teams of the given age categories under rules and regulations laid down by AIFF.
Baby League is a player development initiative by the AIFF, ratified by its Executive Committee in March last year
