EVENTHOUGH there is uncertainty over start of football season in the city, players are making it sure they keep themselves competition ready.

Indian Friends Football Club (IFFC), which has blessings of India pacer and Royal Challenger Bangalore cricketer Umesh Yadav, has started fitness and are busy in pre-season practice matches at their ground in Chankapur.

The club is imparting coaching to budding players. “We want kids from our locality to get all the facilities here itself rather than going all the way to Nagpur to learn the basic skills. We train the budding kids at our ground itself,” informed Bhadange.

IFFC, who have a branch at Godhani, are also planning to expand their base in Nagpur in future.

“We will definitely start clubs under our IFFC banner in Nagpur as well,” Bhadange revealed.

Recently, the club, located some 16 kms from Nagpur in Koradi, played a practice game against a Kamptee based club to gauge their fitness and match temperament.

The club was started in 2000 by Western Coafields Ltd (WCL) employees and ply its trade in the Super Division of the Nagpur District Football Association organised league.

The club was started with a view to develop football culture in Chankapur and provide a platform to the aspirants of rural Nagpur.

“Basically we focus more on education with sports. Most of the team members of IFFC are graduates and engineers. We see football as a passion rather than a carrier,” Director of the club Ankush Bhadange told ‘The Hitavada’.

The club is owned and funded by Yasir Siddiqui, Nasir Siddiqui and Sushil Majumdar. The team is now coached by Michael Anthony a former club player who works as PET with St Francis de Sales School, Sadar.

Sports Minister and MLA Sunil Kedar has taken the initiative to build a sports complex in Chankapur, informed Bhadange.

“The minister has promised to construct a stadium here in Chankapur. It will be great for all the sports loving people of the locality,” said Bhadange.