NEW DELHI: The India camp for the SAFF Under-16 Championship will be held in Srinagar from the third week of July, the national football federation announced on Saturday.
This is the first time that the Valley will host a national camp though it has staged Santosh Trophy and I-League games.
The camp will be held under newly-appointed coach Ishfaq Ahmed. The SAFF U-16 Championship is slated in Bhutan from September 1-11.
“As part of our Vision 2047 to take the game to the newest geographies in India, having first-ever national team coaching camp in Srinagar will surely have a huge impact on local football in Jammu and Kashmir,” AIFF secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran said in a statement.
“I have no doubt that the youth of the Valley will be further encouraged to be part of football and we can easily expect more talents to emerge from J&K to play at a higher level in India.”
The similarities in the weather conditions between Srinagar and Bhutan are also one of the reasons why the camp is being held in the city. The camp initially will start with 52 probables picked up by a team of experts from the AIFF after extensive scouting in five zones — East, West, North, West and North-East. (PTI)