Praful Patel Biography

All India Football Federation (AIFF) has officially launched its Strategic Plan as the event was graced by Jerome Valcke, General Secretary of FIFA along with Praful Patel, President of AIFF. The launching ceremony was conducted in New Delhi on October 15. The plan, which was presented before the Clubs, besides the Executive Committee Members and partners, has put forward the roadmap for AIFF to work towards the development and popularity of this ‘Beautiful Game’ in the country. Valcke has further said that India will always remain the ‘priority country’ for FIFA. He commented, “India is a priority country for FIFA in Asia in terms of football development. We are investing a lot in this country because we believe in its huge potential. It’s a fast growing economy with over1.2 billion people. There’s definitely space for other sports than cricket.”

AIFF President Praful Patel has denoted the Strategic Plan as the ‘process which would define AIFF’s philosophy.’ AIFF, as Patel has called, is the most structured sports federation in the country. His objective is to utilise the need of the hour and to document a perfect work schematic to make the optimal employment of the resources in order to achieve AIFF’s mission and vision. Kushal Das, AIFF General Secretary, also restated and confirmed the organisation’s seriousness and commitment to develop the sport in India. 

After Lakshya, India needs a rudder that would guide and boost the teams’ morale for a larger platform. AIFF is targeting itself to prepare for the overall Strategic Plan which will channelize the potential of the players in right direction and shape their skills to achieve the dream in the next 4 years. Das further elaborated, “We have identified 13 clearly defined and time bound goals and objectives which we need to target till 2017.” 

With Praful Patel contributions, the organisation has devised detailed operational plans and budgets ensuring to have a sustainable and implementable plan. The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) along with their other liabilities have been defined and so performances are to be monitored and evaluated regularly. The Strategic Plan is adding a lot of stress on the Grassroots, Youth Development and Coach Education on which a detailed consultation has been organised with other stake holders.