“Zinc Football Academy is among the best in the country,” says former India captain Renedy Singh on his first visit to the academy

Hindustan Zinc has launched a new project called Zinc Football to help rural children of Rajasthan receive football coaching and strive for their dreams in the sport. Recently the advisory board of Vedanta Hindustan Zinc initiated the Zinc Football project in the presence of renowned footballing personalities. The guest list included former Indian captain Renedy Singh, Indian football legend Oinam Bembem Devi and veteran football administrator Shaji Prabhakaran. They all visited the Zinc Football academy along with  Annanya Agarwal, President of Vedanta Sports.

The three stalwarts of Indian football who were elected as the advisory members of the project were highly impressed with the talent, facilities and overall academy structure. Zinc Football boasts India’s first technology hinged football training which helps the young kids to develop their game and grow as professionals.

The trio also acknowledged the talent present in the state of Rajasthan and encouraged the Zinc Academy to bring through stars of tomorrow. Speaking on his visit, Renedy Singh said: “I am impressed with the infrastructure and facilities at Zinc Football Academy and it certainly has the potential to be among the best and also produce some really exciting talents for the Indian Football Team in the future. During my younger days, I never had access to such world-class turfs and facilities, and I think these young kids, with the potential that they have, should really build and work hard on this brilliant opportunity.”

The youngsters were very excited as they got to meet the stars of Indian footballers in an interactive session. All three of them emphasized becoming top professional footballers as they shared their experiences and insights.

Arjuna Awardee and Padma winner Bembem Devi said: “I am really happy to be part of the Zinc Football advisory board. I was excited to visit the Academy and I must applaud Hindustan Zinc for creating an excellent platform for young footballers to showcase their talent and realise the dreams. I wish everyone here all the best.”

Shaji Prabhakaran added, “I have been to Zinc Football Academy a couple of times and I am really impressed with the progress here. The boys have recently won the Rajasthan State League while playing against much older players and I am sure they will continue to excel in the coming times. As an advisor, I will do my best to support this excellent grassroots program.”

Zinc Football is a project of Vedanta Hindustan Zinc that aims to usher footballing talents from the state of Rajasthan.  The initiative used technology and data to develop youngsters in the grassroots programme. They are also promoting football as a sport at the social level and giving the young kids a platform to take their game forward.