New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met the country’s top young football stars selected in the TV9 Network’s landmark football talent hunt programme Indian Tigers and Tigresses at the ‘What India Thinks Today 2025’ (WITT 2025) Global Summit in New Delhi. Organised by TV9, India’s largest news network, the Global Summit will be held on March 28 and 29, at the Bharat Mandapam in Delhi.
After months of rigorous trials and a nationwide hunt for India’s young footballing superstars, News9’s historic campaign is set to embark on an international endeavour like no other. The one-of-a-kind initiative, which kicked off on February 11 with the opening trials in Delhi, made an inspirational journey from North to South, East to West in the hunt for top young footballing talent in the country.
The trials were split into age groups of 12-14 and 15-17 categories as boys and girls travelled from all across the country to participate in the biggest football hunt in the history of Indian sport. The talented youngsters were selected for the final after regional trials were conducted across the nation – from Jammu and Kashmir in the north to Bangalore in the south and from far west in Maharashtra and Gujarat to West Bengal in the east.
News9’s Indian Tigers & Tigresses: A nationwide talent hunt success story
Thousands of talented kids participated in the trials, but only 28 kids were chosen to travel to Austria, where they will get a golden opportunity to train with the best in the business.
The one-of-a-kind talent hunt witnessed approximately 50,000 registrations in eight scouting camps across the country as kids from 16000 schools participated in the trials. Close to 3,000 girls and 7,000 boys were shortlisted after the registration process, but only 28 made it through.
From the heart of rural India to one of the biggest stages in world football, the journey of the ‘Fab 28’ is nothing short of remarkable.
Before taking the dream flight to Austria, the Indian Tigers and Tigresses had the privilege to meet PM Modi. India’s young football champions will now embark on a journey of a lifetime, which begins on March 30 in Austria.
Austria training: The next step for India’s rising football stars
With ‘Reispo’ – one of the partners of News9 Indian Tigers and Tigresses football initiative in Austria – the football champs will train under the best European coaches.
Four of the top stars will get a golden opportunity to visit VfB Stuttgart – official partner and German top-flight club – and train under Bundesliga standards.
The landmark talent hunt has partnered with the best in the business from Europe, including the Bundesliga, India Football Centre, and DFB Pokal.
The WITT 2025 Summit is expected to be a major platform for policy debates, idea exchanges and networking, bringing together influential figures from across the globe.
WITT 2025: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the 28 young Indian footballers – the “Indian Tigers and Tigresses” – selected from News9’s nationwide talent hunt. These talented youngsters, chosen from thousands of applicants, will undergo training in Austria, with some even training at VfB Stuttgart. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
