For most parts of his career, he played in Division 1 and 2 of Tamil Nadu football. Some of the teams he represented are Chennai United FC, Octopus Marine FC and Rangoon FC. His coaching career began in 2011 and over time, he has developed a great level of expertise in grassroots football development. Coach Vijaya Balan has been part of FC Madras since 2018 and holds an AFC ‘C’ license. He started off as a youth coach at various training camps across Chennai. He was given the role of head coach for the academy’s U-15 team which won the Hero Youth I-League South zone in 2018/2019. With the plethora of grassroot experience he possesses, Vijaya Balan aims to deliver the best quality of coaching and guidance for the development of youth talent at FC Madras. He hopes to see FC Madras as one of the leading youth football academies in South Asia.
