‘Reliance Foundation Development League looks more competitive than ever before,’ says Mumbai City FC assistant coach Clifford Miranda

December 6: Mumbai City FC assistant coach Clifford Miranda lauded the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) as an important initiative to  provide competitive playing time to young Indian players. Speaking after the Islanders; narrow 2-1 defeat to MH Oranje FC during the Regional Qualifiers at the Neville D’Souza Ground in Bandra, Miranda emphasized the league's growing competitiveness in its fourth season.

He heralded it as critical in the progression of the players into the first-team and encouraged the current crop of upcoming footballers to take inspiration from their peers who moved up the ladder from the RFDL to represent their respective first-teams in the Indian Super League (ISL).

“RFDL looks more competitive than ever before. That’s what players at this age require. The more matches they play, the better it is for them and for the club. Players from here can move to the first-team. It’s good for players who don’t get first-team match time that they come to this level, play teams in their age group, get some valuable experience, and then come back to the first-team. As far as Indian football is concerned, it’s very important, because from here on the future players are going to come,” Miranda said.

He also highlighted the need for expanded match opportunities within the league, which he believes will further strengthen the pipeline for Indian football talent.

He added, “At this level, and the levels below, more matches and game time are important. I hope that the league format gets bigger in the future so that there is more match time for the players. A lot of players have come up in the ISL first-teams from the RFDL. It’s just the beginning for these players. They will become big names. I would tell the players to take references from the ones who have already played in the first team.”

The Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) and MYJ GMSC match delivered a 1-1 draw whereas Millat FC overcame Kenkre FC by 1-0 in the other two matches of the Mumbai Region.

Goa

The Regional Qualifiers in the Goa Region saw Dempo SC top the rankings after garnering victories by bagging wins by 3-1 and 2-0 against FC Goa and Sesa Football Academy. League leaders Dempo SC have notched two victories and a draw in three matches followed by FC Goa in the second position with two wins and a loss. Churchill Brothers FC Goa and Clube de Salgaocar have secured a victory each so far, whereas, Sesa Football Academy, and Sporting Clube de Goa are yet to grab a win but have all added a point thus far thanks to a draw each to their name.

Rest of India

The Rest of India Zone saw SAI-RC triumph over Football 4 Change Academy at the MFA Ground by 3-2, thanks to goals by Robert Thokcham, Kharibam Pravannanda Meitei, and Pangersunep for the former. Both teams were tied 2-2 at the end of first half, but a 57th minute winner by Pangersunep saw SAI-RC sail through the remaining 30-odd minutes to notch all three points.

At the same venue, Classic FA bagged a comfortable 5-0 victory against Todo United FC, with midfielders Punit Thangjam, Md Arbash, and Ahongshanbram Samson finding the back of the net for the former, gathering the crucial victory for them. Meanwhile, Jamshedpur FC eased past Senapati FC 3-0 on Thursday to mark a solid start to their RFDL campaign.

About Reliance Foundation Sports:

Reliance Foundation's sports initiatives have touched the lives of over 22 million young people since 2013 across the country from over 13,000 schools and colleges, enabling an opportunity for talented children anywhere to be able to achieve their dream of a career in sport. It is especially committed to ensuring more presence and the success of girls and women athletes in India and designs its programmes in a manner that offers them maximum opportunities. Reliance Foundation’s sports programme aims to develop the sporting ecosystem in India starting from the grassroots. Through its scholarship and athletics programmes, the foundation currently supports over 200 athletes in more than 10 Olympic sports. It also operates three world-class athletics training facilities in India and has partnerships with the IOC, IOA, AFI, and Odisha government. Reliance Foundation runs the Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) football academy, which is India's highest-rated football academy, with many graduates going on to represent various ISL clubs. The Foundation's approach to developing the football ecosystem includes organising three grassroots initiatives: Reliance Foundation Youth Sports, RFYC Naupang League, and Reliance Foundation Development League.

For more information, please follow on: https://www.rfyouthsports.com/

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