VIJAYAWADA: The Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) has entered into a partnership with Tata Steel Limited to provide elite football exposure to promising young players from the State at the renowned Tata Football Academy (TFA) in Jamshedpur.

Under the initiative, Tata Steel will host 80 selected boys and girls across four categories - Under-21 Boys, Under-21 Girls, Under-15 Boys and Under-15 Girls - with 20 players in each category. Selection trials were conducted at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation (IGMC) Stadium on Wednesday, attracting young footballers from across Andhra Pradesh.

As part of the collaboration, SAAP organised a football exhibition match and interaction programme at the IGMC Stadium on Thursday. Chief of Sports, Tata Steel Limited and CEO of Jamshedpur Football Club Mukul Choudhari attended as the chief guest and interacted with players who participated in the recently held SAAP League Football competitions in Anantapur.

SAAP League, a flagship grassroots sports initiative of the Andhra Pradesh government, currently covers competitions in 31 sports disciplines.

SAAP Vice-Chairperson and Managing Director S Bharani said the partnership would help build a stronger football ecosystem in the State by providing structured competition, professional guidance and exposure to elite sporting environments. Mukul Choudhari said the collaboration would help identify and nurture football talent from AP.