WHO WE ARE
Sudeva is an organization which was started in 2014 by two young entrepreneurs, Mr. Anuj Gupta (Solicitor in England) and Mr. Vijay Hakari (Environmentalist) sharing a common passion for raising the standards of football training in the country. The organization runs grassroots programs for potential talent, starting from the age of 9 years, right up to the senior level. Along with running a residential academy, we are a 2nd Division I-League club having teams in all I-league categories.
In a very short span of time, Sudeva has managed to add quite a few feathers in its cap.
In 2016, Sudeva bought Moonlight FC, a Delhi based senior division club. Sudeva Moonlight FC debuted in I-League 2nd Division League in the 2016-17 season. We are the first and up till now the only residential football academy in Delhi-NCR. Our football pitch has been selected as the official Training venue for the recently concluded FIFA U-17 World Cup, 2017. Two of our boys have been selected in the U-17 FIFA World Cup India Camp along with numerous others who have been selected in India Camp in the senior and U-18 Category.
Sudeva’s U-16 I-League team was the champions in I-League U-16 Delhi Zone (A) and remained undefeated throughout the Delhi rounds. 8 of our players were selected in the prestigious U-19 B.C Roy National Trophy, wherein they represented the Delhi state team. One of our players was adjudged as the player of the tournament in the prestigious Jatin Bedi Memorial Tournament, 2017. Two of our players were adjudged as the best players in the CBSE School Nationals in the U-15 and U-17 age category. In the ongoing Youth I-League, Our U-13 and U-18 teams are the only teams to qualify for the National Rounds from Delhi Zone.
SUDEVA SCOUTING
Sudeva and Scouting are synonymous and inseparable. One cannot exist without the other. It will not be an exaggeration to say that Sudeva without its scouting system is like a body without a soul.
One of the significant differences in European football and Indian football is their robust scouting system compared to our rickety and almost non-existent scouting system.
In many ways we are trying to fill that void in our own individual way.
Scouting is not only the first step in our development process but it is also one of the most crucial ones. On an average, the scouting team, which primarily comprises of both the co-founders, spends close to 60-75 days just in the process of scouting. Every year a roster/calendar is prepared to scout from various states, cities, towns and remote villages of the country. Subsequently, trials are conducted in these places with the support of state associations and local authorities.
The idea is to handpick the ‘best of talent and give them the best of platform’
Up till now Sudeva has conducted trials in various places such as- Churachandpur, Imphal, Lunglei, Shillong, Guwahati, Aizawl, Solan, Chandigarh, Sohna, Delhi, Dehradun, Bhopal, Baroda, Ahmadabad, Jaipur, Dausa, Kolkata, Bangalore, Kochi etc. The plan is to continue these trials and keep making inroads in towns, cities and villages wherein the talent has remained untapped.
Our aim is to not only to do talent scouting but to also work in tandem with the state and district football associations to create a robust scouting system.
GRASSROOTS DEVELOPMENT
When we envisioned Sudeva, it was not only about making a successful academy/club but also about working towards creating an ecosystem that is competent enough to make a national team of international standard along with making football a viable career option for the youth of this country. A little over two years and in some ways we are inching towards it. We at Sudeva, work on the principle of ‘catch them young’. Our team regularly scouts for young talent from different parts of the country and aims to give them the best platform possible.
Through this system we are striving to produce not just quality players but also quality human beings. As football is getting bigger and bigger, channelization and utilization of resources and manpower in the right direction is becoming the need of the hour. In these times, rising above from the pedestal of clubs, associations and regional state teams has become imperative.
To raise the bar of Indian football, coming together and working at the grassroots level as a collective force is of utmost importance.
Building channels through a scouting system which is prolific at the same time efficient is what we are striving to do. Further, not just limiting ourselves to scouting our idea is to nurture and develop this talent. For this specific purpose we have come up with the Sudeva Sports Village, which is a full-fledged residential facility. After scouting, the whole idea is to develop this talent and give them a platform/facility that is self-sufficient in developing them to their full capacity. Sudeva Sports Village is a complete institution unto itself where overall development of the child is the priority.
FOUNDERS
Anuj Gupta
Co-founder of SudevaAnuj Gupta is the co-founder of Sudeva. A young entrepreneur and Solicitor by profession. He acts as the think tank of Sudeva along with helming the corporate affairs.
An alumnus of the prestigious Shriram College of Commerce, he later went on to do law from Cardiff University and established his practice as a successful solicitor in London before returning to his roots in 2009 with the intention to contribute to the world of sports. After returning to India he established a successful law firm, ANM Global Solicitors & Advocates, which has 6 offices in India, including offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Gurugram. His love for sports and his desire to make a positive change in the existing ecosystem drove him to create Sudeva.
He played as the center mid-fielder and also captained SRCC’s football team along with leading them to a university victory.
Vijay Hakari
Co-founder of SudevaVijay Hakari is the co – founder of Sudeva . He is the inspirational and motivational half of Sudeva and acts as the backbone to the organisation.
His thrust area is the grassroots development program, where the real action takes place. In addition to this, he mentors and monitors the lifestyle of players. Keeping Yoga at the core of Sudeva and using a blend of ancient science and modern methods, he is directly involved in not just making great players but also great individuals.
An environmentalist (specialising in water recycling) he has successfully provided many water recycling solutions for government bodies.
A passionate footballer (striker) , marathon runner and martial artist he is driven by his single minded goal to create a world class sports environment for sudevans.