Participants for the Reliance Foundation Young Champs Final selections to be held in Mumbai next month were revealed following the conclusion of the RFYC Club Scouting Festivals. These festivals – organised by all eight franchises of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) - began on March 31 in Kolkata before moving to Mumbai on April 1, Chennai and Pune on April 2, Delhi and Guwahati on April 3, and Goa and Thissur on April 4.The festivals across all venues saw huge turnouts as enthusiastic kids were put through numerous drills like the Cruyff turn, scissors, ball controls, 4-v-4 and 7-v-7 matches so as to assess their technical ability. They were evaluated by Piet Hubers, technical director of the Grassroots Development Programme for the Hero Indian Super League, Mark Vaessen, head coach of the Reliance Foundation Young Champs, Jose Barreto, assistant coach of the Reliance Foundation Young Champs, and grassroots directors from the respective clubs as well as local coaches.A total of 158 participants – 25 from Mumbai City FC, 24 from Delhi Dynamos FC, 23 from NorthEast United FC, 21 from Kerala Blasters FC, 19 from Atlético de Kolkata, 16 from FC Goa, 18 from Chennaiyin FC and 12 from FC Pune City - are set to gather in Mumbai for the eight-day long RFYC Final selections that will allow the chosen few to compete for the coveted Reliance Foundation Young Champs scholarship, which looks at developing their all-round game, while also simultaneously fulfilling their academic ambitions.Click here to view the players chosen for the Selection Camp.
