Kolkata/New Delhi, 29 June 2025:
Union Minister for Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan presided over the kick-off programme for the distribution of FIFA footballs under the Football for Schools (F4S) initiative at PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya, Fort William, Kolkata. Organised by the Ministry of Education and the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the event marked a significant step towards integrating sports into the school curriculum, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Joining the Minister at the event were Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, Minister of State for Education and Development of the North Eastern Region, and Shri Shantanu Thakur, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways. Senior officials from the Ministry of Education, including Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, DoSEL, and Smt. Archana Sharma Awasthi, Joint Secretary, were also present, along with eminent sportspersons and school representatives.
The programme was held simultaneously across 21 Kendriya Vidyalayas covering all districts of West Bengal. At the Kolkata event, 2,487 FIFA footballs were distributed to 349 schools. In total, 88,113 footballs will be distributed across West Bengal, impacting more than 15–16 lakh students.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan underscored the transformative power of sports in education. “Even a single football in a small school can ignite a lifelong passion for the game. This initiative will help inculcate a strong sporting culture among our students,” he said. He also announced that approximately 10 lakh footballs would be distributed across India through this initiative. The Minister also inaugurated an exhibition football match at the school.
Dr. Sukanta Majumdar highlighted the NEP 2020’s vision of holistic education, where sports and co-curricular activities play a central role. He thanked Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for conceptualising the policy and commended Shri Pradhan for leading its implementation. “A healthy body nurtures a healthy mind,” he said, stressing the importance of regular sports engagement for students.
Shri Shantanu Thakur focused on the role of such initiatives in developing sporting talent at a young age. “Football for Schools will not only revive interest in the sport but will also help us prepare our students for international-level competition,” he said.
Shri Sanjay Kumar lauded the collaboration between the Ministry, AIFF, and FIFA. He expressed confidence that the initiative would spark enthusiasm for sports at the grassroots and deepen the culture of participation and excellence in schools across the country.
The Football for Schools (F4S) programme, led globally by FIFA, seeks to integrate football into school systems to make the sport more accessible to students. In India, the initiative is being implemented by the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) in collaboration with AIFF and the Sports Authority of India (SAI). FIFA has committed to providing over 9.6 lakh footballs to Indian schools under this programme, which also spans 129 other countries as of January 2025.
Following successful rollouts in states like Odisha in 2024, the West Bengal phase marks another milestone in the nationwide expansion of F4S reflecting India’s growing commitment to fostering a sporting ethos from the grassroots level.
