Now Reading: India has 3.41 lakh registered football players: AIFF data
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India has 3.41 lakh registered football players: AIFF data
India has 3,41,862 registered football players, 16,295 coaches and 3,347 referees, the All India Football Federation told the Central Information Commission. The figures were released in response to an RTI application that…
India has 3,41,862 registered football players, 16,295 coaches and 3,347 referees, the All India Football Federation told the Central Information Commission. The figures were released in response to an RTI application that also sought details of injuries reported by ISL clubs during FIFA windows and progress on the federation's development targets.
The applicant alleged the response was incomplete and misleading. Information Commissioner P R Ramesh ruled that the AIFF had provided permissible information and appropriately answered the queries. The federation had declined to produce club-level injury data, citing that the RTI Act does not require public authorities to create new information or draw conclusions from existing material.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The RTI-driven disclosure comes as Indian football faces persistent questions about grassroots reach versus professional league visibility. With 3.41 lakh players, India's registered pool is smaller than nations like Vietnam (over 5 lakh) despite a much larger population. The AIFF's Lakshya 2022 and Target 2026 plans, which the RTI also sought updates on, have not been publicly audited. A key number to watch is the player-to-population ratio: at roughly one registered player per 4,000 people, India lags far behind FIFA's benchmark of 1 per 200 for competitive nations. The CIC has closed this specific complaint, but the federation faces a broader credibility test when it presents its development data to the Asian Football Confederation.
Source: thefederal.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
