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Elite Scholarship Programme

Every dream deserves a chance

India is home to extraordinary footballing talent. The FC Madras Elite Scholarship Program exists to ensure that deserving players receive the opportunity, environment and support to fulfil their potential.

23Acres
Residential campus
03Pitches
Professional football
100%
Scholarship funded
Young footballer at FC Madras
100% Funded

Football, education, housing, meals and medical care — fully covered for every scholar selected.

Why we built this

Why was the EliteScholarship created?

Across India, thousands of children play football with the same hunger you see in Rotterdam, Rio or Accra. What separates them is not ability. It is access — to coaching that develops rather than drills, to nutrition, to a school that understands an athlete, to a pathway that leads somewhere real.

The Elite Scholarship Program was created to remove every barrier that stands between a deserving young footballer and their potential. Selection is earned on merit alone. Everything that follows — training, education, housing, meals, medical care, travel — is provided.

For parents, this is a promise as much as a programme: your child will be developed as a footballer, educated as a student and raised as a person.

Talent can be found anywhere.
Opportunity cannot.
The selection path

How do we findtomorrow's footballers?

Five stages. No shortcuts, no fees, no favours. Every player who arrives on campus has earned the right to be there.

01

Scouting

Our scouts travel through Tamil Nadu and beyond — school grounds, district tournaments, street games. If you are playing, we are looking.

02

Regional Trials

Open trials assess technique, game intelligence and character in a real footballing environment, not a queue of drills.

03

Residential Trial Experience

The decisive week

Shortlisted players live on campus for several days — training, classroom, recovery, meals — so both sides are certain before anyone commits.

04

Elite Scholarship

Selected players are awarded a fully funded scholarship covering football, education, accommodation and care.

05

FC Madras

You join the club. Daily high-performance training, real competition and a pathway that runs all the way to professional football.

The philosophy

The FC Madrasexperience

Three pillars, carried with equal weight. A player who grows in only one of them has not been developed — they have been used.

Football

Daily high-performance training under former India internationals and licensed coaches. A possession-based, courageous style of play — taught with patience, demanded with standards.

  • 11 sessions a week
  • Individual development plans
  • Video-led feedback

Education

Schooling continues, uninterrupted. Academic timetables are built around training and travel, with supervised study, tutoring support and progress shared with parents.

  • Full schooling
  • Supervised study hours
  • Academic mentoring

Life Skills

Discipline, communication, financial literacy, nutrition, language and how to handle setbacks. Because only a few will turn professional — and all of them must be ready for life.

  • Mentorship
  • Wellbeing & counselling
  • Leadership programme
The environment

An environment builtfor excellence

Talent needs a place to grow. Every element below exists because it changes how quickly and how safely a young footballer improves.

Former India Players & Coaches

Learn from people who have played and coached at the highest level of Indian football.

World-Class Methodology

A written, age-appropriate curriculum benchmarked against leading European academies.

Sports Science

Load monitoring, strength programming and injury prevention led by qualified staff.

Sports Nutrition

Athlete meal plans designed for growing bodies, prepared fresh on campus every day.

Performance Analytics

Match and training data turned into clear individual actions, not vanity dashboards.

Objective Player Evaluation

Transparent evaluation cycles so every player knows exactly where they stand.

Regular Parent Feedback

Scheduled reports and conversations. No parent is ever left guessing.

State-of-the-Art Facilities

A 23-acre residential campus built for football, study, recovery and rest.

The method

Developing elitefootballers

What actually happens between arriving as a talented child and leaving as a complete athlete.

Sports Science
01 — Sports Science

Trained by data, not by guesswork

Every player's workload, growth and readiness is tracked. Sessions are adjusted to the individual, so that development happens without breaking a body that is still forming.

  • Load & readiness monitoring
  • Strength and conditioning
  • Injury prevention protocols
Sports Nutrition
02 — Sports Nutrition

Fuelled like professionals

Three athlete meals and structured hydration every day, designed by nutritionists and cooked on campus. For many players this alone transforms their physical development within a season.

  • Athlete meal planning
  • Growth-stage nutrition
  • Hydration & recovery fuelling
Technology & Analysis
03 — Technology

Every match, reviewed

Training and matches are filmed and analysed. Players sit down with their coach and see their own decisions — the moment they understand why, they improve faster.

  • Video analysis sessions
  • GPS & match metrics
  • Individual development plans
Holistic Evaluation
04 — Holistic Evaluation

Judged on more than goals

Technical, tactical, physical, psychological and academic progress are reviewed together each cycle, then shared honestly with the player and their parents.

  • Termly evaluation cycles
  • Character & attitude review
  • Parent conversations
Exposure

Exposure beyondthe pitch

Players do not grow in a bubble. They grow when they are stretched — against better opponents, in new places, far from home.

01

Competitive Matches

A full calendar of league and friendly fixtures, so players are tested every week — not just trained.

02

Elite Competitions

National youth leagues and invitational tournaments against the strongest academies in the country.

03

Exposure Tours

Travel across India to play unfamiliar styles, in unfamiliar conditions, in front of unfamiliar crowds.

04

International Experiences

Overseas tours and matches against foreign academies — the fastest way to learn what the level really is.

The pathway

Pathway toprofessional football

A scholarship is a beginning, not a destination. This is the road it opens.

01

Young Footballer

A child with ability and hunger, playing wherever there is space. Discovered through scouting or an open trial.

02

Elite Scholarship

Awarded a fully funded place. Moves onto campus, into structured training, schooling and care.

03

High Performance Training

Years of deliberate development — technical, tactical, physical, psychological — with measured progress at every step.

04

Elite Competitions

Tested in national youth leagues, invitational tournaments and international fixtures against the best of their age.

05

Professional Opportunities

Senior team involvement, trials with professional clubs, collegiate scholarships and national age-group selection.

Outcome

Whether or not football becomes their profession, they leave educated, disciplined and equipped to build a life.

FC Madras Campus Aerial
The campus

23 acres. Three pitches.
One purpose.

Training Grounds
Sports Science
Residential Campus
Residential Campus

Residential Campus

Supervised, safe and calm. Two players to a room, with house parents on site.

Strength & Conditioning

Strength & Conditioning

A full gym programmed by qualified coaches for growing athletes.

Recovery

Recovery

Physiotherapy, ice baths and structured rest built into the weekly cycle.

Dining

Dining

Three athlete meals a day, prepared fresh and eaten together as a team.

Classrooms

Classrooms

Schooling and supervised study on campus, timetabled around football.

Questions

Frequentlyasked

If your question is not answered here, apply anyway and ask us directly — someone from the programme will reply.

Any young footballer in India who believes they have the ability, discipline and desire to train full time. There is no cost to apply and no requirement to have played for an academy or a club before. Players are assessed only on what they show us on the pitch and how they carry themselves off it.

Yes. An Elite Scholarship covers football training and coaching, accommodation on campus, all meals, schooling, medical and physiotherapy support, kit and travel for matches and tours. Families of selected players are not asked for fees.

Through scouting and open regional trials, followed by a Residential Trial Experience on campus. Coaches evaluate technical ability, game intelligence, physical potential, attitude and coachability. Decisions are made by the technical team on merit alone.

Shortlisted players live on campus for several days. They train and play matches, are assessed by our sports science staff, spend time in the classroom, eat the athlete meals and sleep in the residence. It lets us see the complete player — and lets the player and their parents see exactly what daily life here looks like.

Always. Education is one of the three pillars of the programme and is never traded away for football. Academic timetables, supervised study hours and tutoring support are built around the training week, and academic progress is reviewed as seriously as football progress.

Our residential campus sits on 23 acres near Mahabalipuram, on the coast just south of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, with three professional-standard football pitches, residences, gym, recovery facilities, dining and classrooms on site.

Regularly and formally. Parents receive scheduled progress reports covering football, education and wellbeing, plus direct conversations with coaches at each evaluation cycle. Communication is a commitment, not a courtesy.

The programme is built around the U13 to U18 age groups, with the intake age band for each trial announced ahead of that trial. If your child falls slightly outside the band, apply anyway — we will tell you when the right window opens.

Apply

The next great footballercould come from anywhere

If you have the talent, passion and determination to succeed, we'd love to meet you. Register your interest and our recruitment team will contact you with the next trial in your region.

2026–27 intake
Chennai & ChengalpattuDates to be announced
Coimbatore & Western TNDates to be announced
Madurai & Southern TNDates to be announced
National Open TrialDates to be announced

Register below and you will be notified the moment dates for your region are confirmed.

Register your interest

Takes under a minute. There is no application fee.

+91

Conferred the 5 star rating

Accreditation from the All India Football Federation

23AcresResidential campus
3PitchesProfessional football
100%Scholarship funded
3PillarsFootball · Education · Life Skills

Built for footballers. Designed for life.

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