Children from Kingston borough to play at IFA Shield UK’s Kids Football Tournament 2025
Children from across Kingston borough including Kingston, New Malden, and Surbiton, are set to play at Indian Football Association (IFA) Shield UK's Football Tournament 2025.
The tournament, organised by the IFA (an organisation that aims to provide pathways for grassroots talent to reach higher levels of football), the Bengali Group Heritage, and the India Khelo Football Association, will take place at Tithe Farm Social Club in Harrow on 13 July.
It is in its ninth consecutive year and is organised for the Bengali community in the UK to promote Asian kids playing football.
The tournament is supported by Kingston Council and the Mayor will be in attendance.
Moreover, South Asian-based organizations like banks and financial institutions will be sponsoring the event.
Football clubs from West Bengal and East Bengal, including Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting, who have been playing for the past 100 years, are also supporting the tournament.
Both girls and boys are welcome to participate in the tournament.
In the past, the tournament has focused on Men's football, but this year, it is focusing on kid's football, and all children from London are welcome to participate.
The top 10 kids at the tournament will hopefully be scouted to play professionally for bigger clubs.
There is still time to reserve your child a spot in the tournament and you can do so here.
Among the children playing in the tournament is eight-year-old Aryan Krishno Das, whose father, Dr Debojyoti Das, is a member of the Kingston and Surbiton Green Party.
Aryan currently plays for Roehampton's Elite Football Club and the Madrid Group.
Speaking about how Aryan got into football, Dr Das told Kingston Nub News: "Last year he [Aryan] attended the IFA Shield UK tournament for the first time.
"I took him to the Indian Football Association league in Harrow, and there, he started playing because they had a children's game, but the spaces were very limited.
"They did, however, get medals and certificates, but it was not announced officially. So, there were no teams. But this year there will be teams, and they will get medals, and they will get certificates and shields."
Dr Das continued: "So, that is the first time when he got exposed to football and he started liking it – I initially took him to play tennis. And then I took him for cricket training in Maldon Wanderers, but he did not show much interest.
"But when it came to football, he was quite enthusiastic. And since then, we have been taking him for trials. So, we went to the AFC Kingston last month.
"Then we went for many other clubs in the Malden and Kingston areas, and so finally he got selected for a Roehampton Elite club. So now he's playing for Roehampton Elite."
Aryan trains with Roehampton Elite every Wednesday for one hour in Hammersmith and the club is part of the London Youth League.
He also trains with Shawn Machins Football Coaching Club in Raynes Park.
Speaking about the tournament, Dr Das said: "Initially we contacted Manchester City and because Manchester City has a collaboration with one of the universities in Calcutta, Techno India University, which is part of this event.
"Manchester City has actually started a youth programme in West Bengal with that university - they are doing training with young boys and girls in Calcutta.
"So, our idea is to promote this game of football, both among boys and the girls, because there is very limited activity. People are more focused on cricket in South Asia, so we want to decenter and make more other sports equally relevant for kids to be played."
Another child from Kingston who is playing in the tournament is Anantha's eight-year-old son Ashwin – Anantha has helped coordinate the tournament with Dr Das.
Anantha been involved in IFA UK Shields for the past two years.
He first took Ashwin to the men's football tournament last year when he was coaching /managing the team.
He is also a coach /manager for his son's Under 7 and Under 8 teams with Raynespark Tigers Football Club.
Speaking about the tournament, Anantha said: "I enjoy football, just like engaging the kids with the football and everything. So, I took my son to the other half of the pitch at last year's IFA UK Shield tournament and then kids started coming up.
"There were almost 15 to 20 kids at that time. So, we started engaging them from 11am to 7 or 8pm.
"So, we were all playing back-to-back different games, routine skills, and everything. That triggered an interest within the community as to why don't our kids play football? So, this is our debut year."
Anantha says that adults "have been participating in the tournament for almost eight years now".
He says that Ashwin was the first child to register for this year's tournament as he is missing it.
Speaking about how Ashwin got into football, Anantha said: "I grew up playing football and hockey during my school and college days, and I love the sport.
I was very serious about hockey at the time, but football is also my parallel passion.
So, Ashwin started playing football when he was around four-and-a-half-years-old, five-years-old with the Little Kickers. And then he moved into a club called RB Tigers.
"So, the more he gets into it, the more I carried on with him, like becoming the coach and manager for his football team. So, every week we have to work on the strategies, learn how the other team is doing it, and what sort of strengths and weaknesses there are.
"It just gives me a little bit of motivation just to encourage my son with football."
Ashwin plays football five days a week.
He plays with league clubs such as Chelsea , Wimbledon AFC, Fulham and trains his skills at Westside FC and Nigel James Elite coaching.
Anantha added: "My son thinks he's a little bit more active, so I started looking for other kids in my community to play with him, and we found that they are all scattered around."
Anantha hopes to help make football more inclusive for Asian players.
He said: "Hockey was always inclusive, but in the last 20 or 30 years, cricket just took the storm. But football has always been in our culture.
"However, after moving to the UK, I've observed that Asian kids still have a lot to lot to learn in terms of skills and strategies in football compared to Europe and Latin America..
"So, with this tournament, we want to teach Asian kids these things and get a community together."
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