PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Oct 1: The Tata Football Academy (TFA) held its 15th Convocation ceremony at the Kudy Mahanty Auditorium in Jamshedpur last evening.
A total of 28 cadets from seven states across the country graduated from the academy.
The event was graced by Chanakya Chaudhary, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel as the chief guest and Kalyan Chaubey, president of the All India Football Federation and joint secretary of the Indian Olympic Association as the guest of honour.
Chief Guest Chanakya Chaudhary who is also the Chairman of TFA congratulated every member of the 2024 graduation batch, on reaching this all-important milestone.
He reiterated how sports is a way of life at Tata Steel and that sports has always been integral to Tata Steel.
Guest of honour, Kalyan Chaubey, shared his memories as a first batch cadet of TFA while reminiscing good old days at the academy.
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TFA graduates in national competitions
While a total of 28 cadets from seven states graduated from the academy, two cadets represented Jharkhand during the Santosh Trophy. Moreover, two cadets were part of the Jamshedpur FC squad for the Durand Cup 2024.
A total of 10 cadets of TFA represented the Jharkhand state team in the Swami Vivekananda U20 National Football Championship while cadet, Sonam Tsewang Lhokham represented India in the SAFF U20 Championship.
TFA also received AIFF Elite Accreditation in 2022-23 while Chawngthu Lalhriatpuia of Jamshedpur FC was promoted to the first team.
TFA’s continuing success and legacy in Indian football
As far as ISL representation (2024-25) is concerned, 16 ex-cadets will be playing in the Indian Super League. As the 15th batch of Tata Football Academy graduates, these young athletes are now ready to take the next step in their football careers, carrying with them the legacy and values instilled in them during their time at the academy.
In the current Indian Super League (ISL) season, 16 former cadets of TFA are playing for different clubs. Former cadets, Deepak Mandal and Subrata Paul, have been conferred with Arjuna Award in the past.
The Tata Football Academy was inaugurated in 1987. A total of 303 cadets have graduated from TFA till date. 149 cadets have represented the country till date which is 49 per cent of the total number of cadets. 24 cadets have captained the Indian football team in various age group tournaments.
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