Golden Baby League in Champhai village, Mizoram has started where children of both genders from age six to 12 can participate.
The Golden Baby League is an initiative by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to grow a new generation of players from an early age.
“We started the Golden Baby Leagues with mixed-gender matches, and it had a magical response from parents in the locality. At the end of the season, you won’t believe, the highest scorer was an 8-year-old girl,” Prakhar Soni said as per an AIFF media release.
The matches are organized on Saturday so that the academic curriculum of the kids is not affected.
“Creating a footballer is not our solitary target. We always stressed the holistic development of the kids and others who are part of the entire project. We appoint senior boys or girls as referees so they can hone their decision-making as well as technical skills,” Soni said.