Baby Leagues are currently a hot topic across the country. These tournaments aid the development of grassroots football and subsequently, Indian football as a whole. However, people are unaware of a few facts and rules about Baby League.
So, let us take a look at 10 facts which you probably do not know about.
- Baby League is a grassroots initiative by All India Football Federation (AIFF), India’s premier football governing body.
- Uruguay’s Baby Football system is the inspiration behind this initiative. The South Americans are a force in the international scene and their grassroots structure is a key factor behind it. There are currently 70+ Baby Futbol Ligas with 800+ teams in the country. In fact, Uruguay and Barcelona start Luis Suarez speaks highly about it in his book.
Source – Baby Leagues India Twitter - Meghalaya State FA was the first one to sign on to organize the Baby League.
- Currently, these grassroots tournaments take place in 10+ states across India, ranging from Maharashtra to Mizoram and Kashmir to Tamil Nadu.
- Kids between four and thirteen years of age take part in the Baby League in either 5v5, 6v6 or 7v7 format.
- The minimum number of players a team requires to start a game are -5v5 – 3 players
6v6 – 4 players
7v7 – 5 players
- As per AIFF guidelines, Baby League can be played on grass, wood, concrete, sand or even on a basketball court as long as the field is even and safe.
- The match length for kids below 8 years should be between 40-50 minutes while kids above 8 years should play 50-60 minutes.
- The break time between two-halves of a Baby League game is generally between 5 and 8 minutes. If the game is of four quarters, then break time should not be more than 3 minutes.
- Each team can make a maximum of 9 substitutions over the course of a match. No further changes are permitted after nine are completed.
Thus, these are some of the lesser known facts and rules of the Baby League. Feel free to share your knowledge about Baby League in the comments below.
