**Executive Summary**
On May 31, 2026, Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports, Raksha Khadse, visited NorthEast United FC to review its grassroots talent development model and interact with the club's leadership and athletes. The visit highlighted the club's scouting framework and the selection of nearly 60 young players for final trials in Guwahati. This engagement underscored the government's commitment to strengthening athlete development pathways and infrastructure within the North East region.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Talent Identification and Selection**
* The club employs an extensive scouting initiative led by Technical Director Naushad Moosa, covering various parts of India.
* Scouting methods include utilizing a network of coaches and former players, monitoring youth national team participants, and observing AIFF-organized youth competitions.
* Nearly 60 promising players were invited to Guwahati for final trials to form the core of the Under-18 and Reserve Team setups.
**Strategic Development Philosophy**
* The Minister emphasized that the future of Indian football relies on early talent discovery, quality coaching, and structured progression pathways.
* A "grassroots-to-elite" pathway is deemed critical for strengthening the national football ecosystem.
* The club’s long-term vision focuses on creating a sustainable, scientific pathway for young footballers.
**Regional Focus and Infrastructure**
* The North East is recognized as one of India's strongest sporting regions with consistent production of exceptional talent.
* Unlocking regional potential requires sustained investment in coaching, infrastructure, and scientific athlete development.
* The visit served as a review of sports infrastructure and youth-focused programs in Meghalaya and the North East.
**Impact Analysis**
**NorthEast United FC Management and Coaching Staff**
**Impact**
The club's developmental philosophy and scouting framework received official commendation from the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, validating their long-term athlete development model.
**Action Required**
The leadership must continue managing the transition of scouted talent into the Under-18 and Reserve Team squads while maintaining the structured pathways reviewed by the Minister.
**Young Footballers and Trialists**
**Impact**
Approximately 60 players have been identified for high-level progression, providing them access to professional coaching and a potential career path in the club's reserve setup.
**Action Required**
Identified players must participate in the final selection trials in Guwahati to secure their positions within the club’s developmental teams.
**Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports**
**Impact**
The visit provided a first-hand assessment of regional sports infrastructure and the efficacy of private club development models.
**Action Required**
The Ministry is expected to follow through on its commitment to promote grassroots sports and support the athlete development systems highlighted during the visit.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports: The central government ministry responsible for overseeing sports infrastructure, athlete development, and youth-focused programs in India.
Raksha Khadse: Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports who conducted a review of grassroots talent development and sports infrastructure in the North East.
NorthEast United FC: A professional football club recognized for its grassroots talent development model and extensive scouting initiatives across India.
All India Football Federation: The national governing body for football, mentioned for organizing youth competitions used to identify and monitor promising talent.
North East India: The primary geographical region of focus for the government's efforts to unlock sporting potential through investments in coaching and infrastructure.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Raksha Khadse Visits NorthEast United FC,
Commends Club’s Grassroots Talent
Development Model
"Future of Indian Football Lies in Early Talent Discovery,
Quality Coaching and Athlete Development”: Union MoS
Youth Affairs & Sports Raksha Khadse
Union MoS Youth Affairs & Sports interacts with
management, coaches and young footballers; highlights
importance of structured pathways for nurturing sporting
talent
Posted On: 31 MAY 2026 6:03PM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports, Raksha Khadse, visited NorthEast United FC and
interacted with the club’s management, coaching staff and young footballers, appreciating the club’s
efforts towards identifying and nurturing football talent from across the country, particularly from the
North East region.
The visit was attended by Mandar Tamhane, Chief Executive Officer, NorthEast United FC; Rohit Thorat;
Naushad Moosa, Technical Director and Reserve Team Head Coach; along with members of the club’s
management team, coaching staff and young footballers.During the interaction, the club's leadership briefed Raksha Khadse on NorthEast United FC’s youth
development philosophy, talent identification framework and long-term vision for creating a sustainable
pathway for young footballers.
The Minister was informed about the club’s extensive talent scouting initiative led by Naushad Moosa,
under which coaches travelled across various parts of the country to identify promising young footballers.
Players were scouted through the club’s network of coaches and former players, youth competitions
organised by the All India Football Federation, and continuous monitoring of players representing India at
youth national team levels.As part of the selection process, nearly 60 promising young players were invited to Guwahati for final
selection trials. The selected players are expected to form the core of the club’s Under-18 and Reserve
Team setup, further strengthening NorthEast United FC’s long-term player development pathway.
Raksha Khadse appreciated the club’s structured approach towards talent identification and athlete
development and highlighted the importance of creating strong grassroots-to-elite pathways for young
sportspersons.
“The future of Indian football depends on our ability to identify talent early, provide quality coaching and
create structured opportunities for progression. Initiatives that combine grassroots scouting, athlete
development and long-term planning are critical for strengthening India’s football ecosystem,” she said.
The Minister noted that the North East continues to be one of India’s strongest sporting regions and has
consistently produced exceptional football talent. She emphasised that sustained investments in coaching,
infrastructure and scientific athlete development would help unlock even greater potential from the region.Raksha Khadse also reiterated the Government’s commitment to promoting grassroots sports,
strengthening athlete development systems and creating greater opportunities for young sportspersons
across the country.
The visit formed part of her engagements in Meghalaya and the North East aimed at reviewing sports
infrastructure, athlete development initiatives and youth-focused programmes in the region.
*****
Ayushman Kumar
(Release ID: 2267266) Visitor Counter : 1267
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