The first All India Football Federation Club Licensing Seminar for the year 2014 was successfully held at the AIFF Headquarters, Football House, New Delhi, on Wednesday. Present for the occasion were representatives from the 13 Airtel I-League clubs participating in the current season, as well as, Sunando Dhar, CEO, Airtel I-League.

The objective of the day-long meeting was to give the clubs an insight on the Online Club Licensing process. The representatives were educated with the process of Online Registration and the Document Submission of the Licensing Process for the 2014/15 season.

Roma Khanna, Manager, Club Licensing, AIFF, stated, “This system is designed to ensure complete transparency and be user-friendly, so that at any given time a club have the access to their license performance, just a click away.”

Pune FC are the only Indian club to have fulfilled successfully all the criteria of licensing in the 2013/14 season. Speaking on the occasion, Chirag Tanna, Head of Operations, Pune FC, said, “We are now very much aware that fulfilling the Club Licensing Criteria is very important and so, the online system will definitely come as a help.”

Echoing the sentiment, Mustafa Ghouse, Chief Operating Officer, Bengaluru FC, stated that it is important that all the clubs give importance to the Club Licensing Criteria, and it is really good to see everyone giving this amount of attention.

“It seems the online system will be easier. It is quite self-explanatory and straightforward, and also very user-friendly. A very positive step indeed.”

R.A.J Gomes, General Secretary, Salgaocar SC, explained, “Initially the clubs might have slight reservations about it, but by the 2015/16 season, all clubs will be up for it.”

He also feels that all the Goan outfits in the Airtel I-League are really looking forward to completing all the criteria of licensing before the start of the 2014/15 season.

Summing up the whole event, Khanna addressed, “We are happy to see the overwhelming support received from the clubs and the input provided by the clubs especially during the testing phase has helped us build a better system.”

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
Nikhil Sharma (Shillong Lajong FC), Donbert Pyrbot, Maysalinda Symielieh (both Rangdajied United FC), Bhaskar Basu (Mohammedan Sporting Club), Arunava Bhattacharya (East Bengal Club), Prince Rufus, Suman Ghosh (both Mohun Bagan AC), Banibrata Biswas, Avijit Ghosh, Manik Barman (all United SC), Chirag Tanna, Amit Dharap (both Pune FC), Atul Badgamia, Souptikk Daas (both Mumbai FC), Abhijit Patil (Dempo SC), Victor Fernandes, Clyde Dias (both Sporting Clube de Goa), Raj Gomes, Rahul Rodrigues (both Salgaocar SC), Watson Fernandes (Churchill Brothers SC), Mustafa Ghouse, Dhruv Nagarkatti (both Bengaluru FC)

(Report & Picture courtesy AIFF Media)