“Important for kids to enjoy playing & fall in love with the game,” states Khalid Jamil as RF Youth Sports returns with Season 8

Kochi, 26 July 2025: The eighth season of India’s most extensive youth football competition Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS) kicks off today at the Dr. Ambedkar Stadium in Kochi.

Aimed at building a structured and competitive environment for India’s young footballers, this season will also cater to U-7 to U-13 age groups — the foundation of a clear developmental pathway that stretches up to U-21 through the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL). Players such as Gurnaj Singh Grewal, Nikhil Prabhu, Naorem Roshan Singh, Sivasakthi Narayanan, Vibin Mohanan, and Mohammed Aimen represent some of the most compelling success stories to emerge from India’s growing youth ecosystem — having risen through competitions like RFYS, RFDL and Next Gen Cup to make their mark in the Indian Super League, national age-group teams, and the senior national squad.

Speaking on the importance of such competitions, Jamshedpur FC Head Coach Khalid Jamil said: “It's fantastic that RFYS is providing a platform for young players to gain competitive game time and experience a longer season. This is exactly what Indian football needs – more opportunities for juniors to play matches and develop their skills. The most important thing is for kids to enjoy playing and fall in love with the game. It's a great initiative that should definitely continue.”

Key Features of RFYS Season 8:

Key football hotspots: Delhi, Punjab, Kashmir, Kochi, Malappuram, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas and Meghalaya
Five age categories: U-7 (Boys & Girls), U-9 (Boys & Girls), U-11 (Boys & Girls), U-13 (Girls), and U-13 (Boys)
No. of participating teams: 40 teams across the five categories
Minimum no. of matches per team: 21

Season 8 also reflects growing collaboration between RFYS and the wider football community, with potential partnerships in the works with clubs and state federations— alongside the growing involvement of former players and ISL clubs.

RFYS continues to inspire young players by turning dreams into reality not just through top-level competition, but also through priceless experiences that leave a lasting impact. Earlier this year, SP One Foundation and Mohun Bagan Super Giant, winners of the RFYS Kolkata Season 7 U-15 Girls and Boys categories — had their moment of glory elevated when they met the ISL 2024-25 finalists in Kolkata and posed with the ISL Cup, a gesture that exemplifies how RFYS builds both ambition and belief among young talents across India.

About Reliance Foundation Sports:

Reliance Foundation's sports initiatives have touched the lives of approx. 23 million young people since 2013 across the country from over 13,000 schools, colleges, clubs & academies 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 40+ graduates bagging professional contracts with top Indian football clubs. The Foundation's approach to developing the football ecosystem includes organising three grassroots / youth initiatives: Reliance Foundation Youth Sports, RFYC Naupang League, RFYC Coastal League and Reliance Foundation Development League.

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