Football is the World´s most popular sport. It can be easily played with little to no equipment. Such a sport is an ideal fit for our country where resources are scarce, but there is no shortage of talent, energy and interest.

India is the proud host of the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in 2017. The Honourable Prime Minister and the Government of India see this as a turning point, an opportunity to change the culture of football and sport in this country. The legacy of this event of national importance can only be fully utilized by creating a mass movement around it. The objective is to take forward the PM’s vision of every child in the country playing football. With this view, the AIFF and the Local Organizing Committee for the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 with the support of the Government of India have created a pioneering program called Mission XI Million (MXIM), that intends to bring at least 11 million school kids in the country actively playing football in the run up to the Event.

Mission XI Million uses the school network and facilities around the country to encourage children to play the game and gain healthy habits and fine motor skills and learn important life lessons in teamwork and sportsman spirit. We all need to contribute to change the future. The Mission XI Million approach is to work with school principals and sports teachers and coaches together as one unit. Every schools that becomes a part of this will be the pioneers in changing our nation’s sporting future. Schools will be fully supported and encouraged to make their children play football regularly.
Mission XI Million will conduct a workshop for participating schools and would specially invite – School Principals, Physical Education Teachers, Head of Departments or Parents.

Each participating school of the seminar is given an equipment kit that comprises a detailed programme execution write-up and two footballs. (Size 4 and 5 each) for their schools. The School Physical Education Teachers or coaches act as MXIM instructors/ representatives to implement the programme in their schools as per the guidelines provided by AIFF and Government of India.

It is with immense pride that LiFFA Trivandrum associated with the Government of India and All India Football Federation in this humongous project. The event was hosted by LiFFA at St. Vincent’s School, Kaniyapuram with the support of Chennaiyin FC, Physical Education Directors from more than 50 schools from Kaniyakumari and Trivandrum participated in the event and received the balls distributed by LiFFA.