Dream Foundation expands partnership with Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools to support India’s budding football stars

50 young talented football players from underprivileged backgrounds have been identified for a three-year programme to train and prepare them for national and international tournaments

(L-R) Former Indian Football team Captain Bhaichung Bhutia and Meghalaya CM Conrag Sagma.

Khel Today Bureau 

Shillong: Dream Foundation (DF), the philanthropic arm of Dream Sports, one of India’s leading sports technology companies, today announced the expansion of its three-year football training and development programme in collaboration with the Indian football legend Bhaichung Bhutia. The partnership, which is an extension of initiatives launched by the foundation in the North-East, will play a critical role in training 50 young talented football players and support the growth of the sport in India.

The partnership was announced in the presence of Hon’ble Chief Minister of Meghalaya Shri Conrad Sangma and former Indian Football team Captain Bhaichung Bhutia. A friendly football match was played with the young athletes who have been selected for the programme this year. Advanced footballers from the programme in the U-17 category, will undergo specialized training in New Delhi.

Speaking on the occasion, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Meghalaya Shri Conrad Sangma, “I thank Dream Foundation and Bhaichung Bhutia for this initiative and for selecting Meghalaya for the first such program in the region. It shows that Meghalaya has great potential. We are making policies to make the state a sporting powerhouse. To the youngsters here I say, Dream Big and don’t give up. I hope each one of you is able to represent our great nation someday.”

Speaking about the programme, former Indian football captain and advisor to DF, Bhaichung Bhutia said, “Over the years, Dream Foundation has played a significant role in our mission to provide life-changing opportunities for budding footballers. Our athletes have greatly grown and succeeded under the programme and we hope to extend this support to many more young players and contribute to the vision of making India a sporting nation.”

Talking about the extended partnership, Bhavit Sheth, Chief Operating Officer & Co-Founder, Dream Sports, said, “As long-term partners with a shared vision to Make Sports Better, we are thrilled to bring more young athletes into the programme. We are seeing a significant increase in interest and potential for football in India. The Dream Foundation is committed to enable athletes to unlock their full potential by supporting their overall development.”

As part of the program, Dream Foundation will also be working towards holistic development of the athletes and provide them with lodging, nutrition, education, coaching, training, equipment, apart from opportunities to participate in National and International tournaments. The selected athletes will receive their academic education at the Army Rifles Public School, Shillong, and Vedas International School, New Delhi, while they complete their training program.

About Dream Foundation: Dream Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Dream Sports, India’s leading sports technology company with brands such as Dream11, FanCode, Dream Capital and DreamSetGo in its portfolio. DF’s vision is to contribute towards nation building with strategic and impactful interventions across sports, technology, skill-building, health and fitness. One of DF’s key sports initiatives is ‘DreamGold’, a long term elite athlete development program that is proud to support athletes like Sreeja Akula and Nethra Kumanan. To support young, promising athletes, DF has also curated long lasting and impactful partnerships with Mary Kom Regional Boxing Foundation, Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools and the Dilip Vengsarkar Foundation.

About Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools: Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools (BBFS) is an initiative taken by India’s longest-serving football captain – Bhaichung Bhutia, and two IIT graduates Anurag Khilnani and Kishore Taid. The founding team of Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools came together with the vision of creating an ecosystem that nurtures and develops the will to Play, Learn and Master football.

With training centres across the country, BBFS has trained over 13,000+ students and developed over 2000+ coaches. BBFS builds expertise in each stage of the player development pyramid and works to activate the overall football ecosystem in India. In the past year, BBFS launched enJogo, India’s first football training app.