We're going to play with honesty, hard-work, says Sudeva Delhi boss Chencho Dorji

Sudeva Delhi defeated RFYC in the semi-finals of the RFDL.

Sudeva Delhi FC secured a berth at the final of the National Championship of the Reliance Foundation Developmental League (RFDL) yesterday, after defeating Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) 1-0 in Navi Mumbai. Not only that, they topped the table in the National Group stage to setup a date with Premier League clubs in the upcoming Next Generation Cup.

Having started off as a residential football academy about eight years ago, Sudeva has gone from strength to strength in recent years. They fielded an all-Indian XI in their maiden season of the I-League in 2020-21 and have put forth an incredible testament of taking small steps towards steering a side towards their ambitions in the long run.

Their coach, tactician Chencho Dorji, has been delighted by the performance demonstrated by his boys so far. Prior to the semi-finals, the team won four out of their five games in the National Group Stage and Dorji claimed that a fine blend of youth and experience helped them overcome any opposition they encountered over the last couple of weeks or so.

“I think we just keep focusing on the right thing. Most importantly, we have been working with our young players these last few years. We have been giving opportunities to these young players and at the same time,” Dorji reflected upon the team balance helping them achieve their objectives this season.

Sudeva will be taking part in the Next Generation Cup that will be held in Mumbai from the following week onwards. They will battle competition from four of their counterparts from the RFDL along with Premier League (PL) clubs like Everton, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) team Stellenbosch FC.

“My advice to my players is that you just have to play the game. Of course, we keep winning our first priority but sometimes we have to think beyond winning also, you know. Of course, we are going to play with honesty, hard-work. That is the most important thing for the boys there,” Dorji said.

“Obviously, Reliance gave a platform to our boys. It’s a good platform with all the resources and talented boys coming to that level. Our boys are very excited to perform here. They have been already saying that we have to get into this stage. RFDL is something that everyone looks up to. I have also been telling them that they need to be in that position where they can prove that they are good players because, last four-five years we have been working hard,” he signed off.