Jamshedpur FC announce squad for inaugural RF Development League

The Reliance Foundation Development League is a great platform for youngsters to showcase their talent and skills.

Jamshedpur FC will participate in the inaugural Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) along with Reliance Foundation Youth Champs (RFYC) and six other Indian Super League (ISL) clubs; Bengaluru, Chennaiyin, Goa, Hyderabad, Kerala Blasters, Mumbai City. The tournament will be held in Goa and will commence from April 15th.

The Men of Steel will be featuring their Youth Team (TFA) cadets for whom the tournament will provide a unique opportunity to compete against the best emerging players from across the country.

The squad registered by the club has all players born in or after 2002, which makes it an entirely U-20 youth team. The players in the team are majorly those who played the U-18 Elite League in 2020 where they provided some stellar performances in their group before the Covid-19 pandemic. The squad also participated in the Durand Cup back in September 2021 under the guidance of coach Noel Wilson.

The team will be led by Head Coach, Carlos Santamarina in Goa along with Assistant Coach, Indranil Chakraborty and Goalkeeping Coach, Subrata Dasgupta. The Spaniard, deployed at Tata Football Academy by Atletico de Madrid, has been the Head Coach of the Academy for over three years now and was ecstatic about the inaugural RFDL.

What head coach Carlos Santamarina said:

"The RF Development League is a very good chance for our academy players as there are good teams playing in the league. They need this experience to be able to play professionally in the big leagues like ISL in the future. This tournament is also very good for Indian Football overall as it bridges and completes pathway for development of the young players in the country and transition from academy to senior team.”

The squad will also consist of Sandip Mandi, Vishal Yadav and Mohit Singh Dhami who plied their trade in the league-winning run of Jamshedpur in the recently concluded ISL 2021-22 season. About having them in the team, Carlos said, “It’s massive to have three players from the squad that became Champions of India to be part of the dressing room, especially because they themselves are graduates of Tata Football Academy. For the rest of them it’s a big motivation as they are like a mirror in front of them and are hungry to replicate that level of success in their careers.”

The teams that finish in the top two at the end of the league will be given the chance to participate at the Next Gen Cup to be hosted in the United Kingdom for the first time later this year. These teams will be joined by selected Premier League (PL) Club youth teams, providing Indian players the chance to experience playing in the UK and competing against academy sides from the most-watched football league in the world. Jamshedpur FC will kick-off its first match of RFDL on 16th April vs Mumbai City.

Jamshedpur FC Squad for Reliance Foundation Development League

Goalkeepers: Vishal Yadav, Arman Tamang, Mohit Singh Dhami

Central Defenders: Sandip Mandi, Rishi, Saphabha, Deepak Hansdah, Gopal Hembram, Ankit Toppo

Full Backs: Nayan Tamang, Piush Thakuri, Kojam Beyong, Aryan Sonowal, Raj Mukhi  

Midfielders: Keisan Angelo Singh, Advait Sumbly, Hijam Lenin Singh, Phijam Vikash Singh

Wingers: Anand Kumar, Robin Das, Sorokhaibam Nongpoknganba Meitei

Forwards: Nikhil Barla, Khullakpam Sakir Ali, Lalruatmawia

Travelling Staff: Carlos Santamarina (Head Coach), Indranil Chakraborty (Asst. Coach), Subrata Dasgupta (GK Coach), V. Ramkrishna (Academy Manager), Md. Salah (Physiotherapist), Abhishek Ganguly (Team Manager).

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