The national finals of the AIFF Junior League, known as the Dream Sports Championship 2026, is taking place in Goa from 3-14 May, 2026 where young kids from all over India are showcasing their talent and coaches and support staff are getting a series of high-impact coach-development workshops and masterclasses from Premier League coaches. In the spin of things is Neel Shah, the CEO of Dream Sports Foundation, who believes that junior tournaments in India are very important for growing Indian football and can bring more players like Sunil Chhetri and Bhaichung Bhutia into the system.
“I have been really impressed with seeing some of the talent in the tournament. Boys from all around the country are here, and the Dream Sports Foundation had made a decision a while ago to really focus our efforts on elevating youth sports in India. We have done it for a few sports, with football being one of them, and over the years, the property has gotten better and better. This past year, we were able to tie up with the All India Football Federation to host the AIFF Junior Finals, and the talent on display here has really impressed me,” said Neel.
He added, “So, I think there’s a number of future Sunil Chhetris and Baichung Bhutias coming through the system in the future as long as we’re giving them high-quality competitions and coaching education on a regular basis and a lot of exposure, international exposure where possible, you’re going to start to see more top talent coming out of the country that can play at international levels. But we need to invest in that together, not just Dream Sports Foundation, but many other corporates to invest in the youth is very critical right now.”
Not just the players, coaches, and the support staff are also elevating their knowledge and skills during the tournament, as Dream Sports Foundation has signed a strategic partnership with the Premier League.
The Premier League is delivering a series of high-impact coach-development workshops and masterclasses led by Carl Plunkett, lead coach developer, Chris Foreman (Aston Villa), and Colin Littlejohns (Everton), John Scott (Bournemouth), Max Chapman (West Ham United) and Sarah Lowden from the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMO), who are sharing their experience.
Neel stated, ” I have had a long relationship with the Premier League. I have seen the good work they do in sports, development and education, and we felt that there was a nice fit in terms of uh taking the education we’re doing for coaches off the pitch during the Dream Sports Championships and working with the Premier League to take it to another level.”
“So we decided that this would be a good opportunity to work with the Premier League in a strategic partnership to not only amplify the coaching education, but also provide for some knowledge exchange between the Premier League and Indian coaches, the top coaches who are part of the Dream Sports Championships. And hopefully, over time, to create some international exposure opportunities for some of the players,” he concluded.
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