New Delhi, Nov 21 (UNI) The All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) developmental side, Indian Arrows, is all set to take part in the 123rd edition of the IFA Shield as part of their pre-season preparation for the Hero I-League campaign, starting from December 6.
Having started in 1893, the IFA Shield is one of the oldest football competitions in the world, and Arrows head coach Venkatesh Shanmugam feels that this is a good chance for the new batch to soak in some experience of playing senior football.
“The IFA Shield is one of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments in India, a lot of history is involved in this competition. It will be an honour for these young boys to play in the tournament and they are very lucky in that regard,” said Venkatesh. “As a coach, I am very happy to take this team to the tournament.”
The current Arrows batch has come through the ranks of junior football, having been promoted from the U-17 level, where they trained under head coach Shuvendu Panda in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Government of Odisha provided with the infrastructure and facilities for the boys to train.
The boys, who have now progressed to the Indian Arrows team, will assemble in Bhubaneswar for their training camp on November 20, before heading to Kolkata for the IFA Shield and subsequently the Hero I-League.
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