Yash Chikro, a rising football star hailing from Arunachal Pradesh, recently captained the Indian Under-19 football team to victory at the SAFF Games in Kathmandu, Nepal. His outstanding performance, particularly his winning goal against Bangladesh in the final, contributed to India's resounding 3-0 victory and secured the prestigious SAFF Cup. Yash's dedication and gratitude towards his success, especially to Rajasthan United Football Club (RUFC), have touched many hearts.
Yash was scouted as part of AU Small Finance Bank's (AU SFB) sports project in collaboration with RUFC. He made the difficult decision to leave his family during a challenging time to join the academy in Jaipur. But the project provided him with the crucial support he needed to realize his full potential. He won the Most Valuable Player award in the 2022 Pink City Super League, leading to his promotion to the senior team of RUFC for the 2023-24 season. Yash's recent accolades include a victory against Pakistan in the U19 South Asian Football Federation Championship. His achievements brought happiness to his family, and he expressed deep gratitude to AU SFB and RUFC for the opportunity they provided him.
Aimed at grassroots talent, AU SFB's sports project has not only benefited Yash but also ten other exceptionally talented players.
Apart from its involvement in football, AU SFB is also affiliated with Rajasthan Athletics Association, an apex body of athletics in Rajasthan. This affiliation with RAA brings several benefits to athletes supported by AU SFB:
- Athletes can directly participate in State Level Sports tournaments of RAA under the banner of AU Foundation.
- Certificates issued by RAA are recognized by the state government for government jobs and winners' prize money.
- Athletes supported by AU SFB do not need to compete at village and district levels; they can compete at the state, zonal, and national levels directly.
- This affiliation emphasizes AU SFB's commitment to supporting budding talent in various sports, not just football.
AU SFB launched their first-of-a-kind sports programme, Bano Champion- Maidan Se Manzil Tak (From Field to Destination) in October 2021. It provides a platform of guided sports training in rural areas of Rajasthan. The programme focuses on creating champions in sports such as athletics, football, throwball, volleyball along with games of local preference.
Initiated with 30 locations, the programme had expanded its footprint to 66 rural and semi urban locations covering 16 districts of Rajasthan. Currently, more than 7000 young children are being trained under guidance of 90 trained coaches and sub-coaches, besides a large support of volunteers.
The initial results were highly motivating, where over 680 young sports enthusiasts enrolled under the programme showed exemplary results at State and National Level competitions organized by associations and federations and 5 qualified for Khelo India Youth Games. 5 female athletes from the project have also been selected by the Delhi Sports School (DSS) developed by Delhi Sports University.
Bano Champion also provides its own platforms to children to compete at different levels through its Village, District & State level sports tournaments. The first leg of their tournament was organized last year in February and in August witnessing participation of over 25000 children. Further, the tournament was conducted at District level hosting over 4300 participants. The State Level Sports Tournament was held at SMS Stadium in Jaipur on January 29, 2023 where1800+ participants competed across 7 sports.
The programme has drawn encouraging responses with formal partnerships being forged with sectoral experts and association bodies as well as getting the support of the government. Going further, the initiative will focus on taking its technical trainings to the next level and reach out to a larger group of stakeholders for greater collaborative impact.
