The Western India Football Association (WIFA), the governing body of the game in Maharashtra announced a 22 member squad for Maharashtra Junior Boys Football Team that will represent the state in the upcoming Junior Boys National Football Championship (NFC) – Tier 1.

Maharashtra are clubbed in Group B alongside Goa, Delhi (Winner of Tier 2 of the BC Roy Trophy 2023-24), and Jharkhand in the prestigious Under-15 age group tourney. The tournament will be held at the RKM Ashrama Ground in Narainpur, Chhattisgarh, T

The selected squad which consists of talented players from various districts of Maharashtra and showcases the depth and potential of youth football in the state for the championship is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Sakash Ravi Vukkadala (Mumbai), Sairaj Bhushan Dongale (Kolhapur), Hirday Sameer Shah (Thane)

Defenders: Manthan Sachin Thapa (Mumbai), Erwyn Basil D’Souza (Mumbai),  Parth Vijay Talkokul (Mumbai),  Samarth Babasaheb Nikam (Kolhapur), Swaroop Anant Satur (Kolhapur), Arshan Ayyaz Kumandan (Thane)

Midfielders:  Riddhiman Nirupam Das (Mumbai),  Arjun Devendra Singh (Mumbai), Ryan Ronald Pereira (Mumbai), Shaunak Samith Chouta (Pune), – Aalhaad Sudhanshu Hate (Pune), Shaunak Vinayak Dhapte (Pune), Shaikh Rayyan Javed (Jalna).

Forwards:  Yuvraj Sandeep Kadam (Mumbai), Iqbal Asif Shaikh (Pune), Abhimanyu Madhukar Bhojane (Nagpur),  Krushnaraj Gurudatta Temkar (Ahmednagar), Lexton Christanand Calaco (Palghar),  Angad Kumar Kailashchand Yadav (Raigad)

Head Coach: Shrungar Raul; Team Manager: Yogesh Pillay

The championship fixtures for Group B are as follows:
Saturday, 3rd August: Goa Vs Maharashtra; Jharkhand Vs Delhi
Monday, 5th August:  Maharashtra Vs Jharkhand; Delhi Vs Goa
Wednesday, 7th August: Maharashtra Vs Delhi; Jharkhand Vs Goa

Semi-finals:

Saturday, 3rd August: Winners Group A Vs Winners Group C

Saturday, 10th August: Winners Group B Vs Winners Group D

Final: Monday 12th August

About Junior National Football Championship:

The Junior Boys' National Football Championship for Dr. B. C. Roy Trophy was started in 1962. All affiliated State Associations of the AIFF are eligible to participate in this championship through the two tiers of the competition which is played across the country. It was formerly held for the U-19 age group before being converted into an U-15 tournament from the 2023-24 edition.

The Tier 1 of the BC Roy Trophy 2023-24 was held in Bhubaneswar and contested by 16 teams, divided into four groups of four teams each, with the winners progressing to the semi-finals. Uttar Pradesh beat West Bengal 2-1 in the final to win the trophy. The BC Roy Trophy Tier 1 for 2024-25 season will see 16 teams divided into four groups with the group winners progressing to the semi-finals.

Group A – Uttar Pradesh, Mizoram, Odisha

Group B - Jharkhand, Goa, Maharashtra, Delhi

Group C - Punjab, Chandigarh, Meghalaya, Karnataka

Group D - West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu

Photo Above : The 22 member Maharashtra Junior Boys Football squad along with their Coach and Team Manager pose for a group photo in presence of WIFA Office Bearer