Guwahati: Guwahati City FC (GCFC) and Kaziranga English Academy have joined hands to establish a residential football-cum-academic academy addressing a long-standing gap between sports training and structured education.
Unlike conventional training setups where young athletes juggle school, travel, and practice separately, the GCFC–Kaziranga model aims to embed structured football training within an academic institution’s ecosystem.
“Parents here have long faced a binary choice between pursuing education or sports. Through this setup, we are bridging that gap,” said Himangshu Baruah, Executive Member, Kaziranga English Academy, in an interview with Business North East (BNE).
“Since our inception 20223, we have aimed to provide a 360-degree growth opportunity for students," said Baruah.
A New Model for Football Academies in Assam:
The residential academy promises a host of facilities that align with modern education standards: air-conditioned hostels, dedicated sports infrastructure including swimming pools and gymnasiums, AI and robotics laboratories, and 24x7 mentoring. Academic fees under the new model are pegged between Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh per annum, depending on the student's grade.
On the sporting front, Guwahati City FC plans to groom players across U-11, U-13, U-15, and U-17 age groups, aiming to admit 15–25 students in each category. The football-specific annual fee will range between Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000, covering professional coaching, tournament participation, medical assessments, and kit provisions. Student selection will happen through open trials conducted across Assam, with direct admission opportunities available through special evaluations, Darick Ranjan Deka, Director, Guwahati City FC, told BNE.
According to Deka, the partnership is designed not merely to offer coaching but to meet AIFF (All India Football Federation) youth league accreditation benchmarks.
“Without academic partnerships, standalone football academies struggle to maintain professional pathways. We are positioning ourselves for long-term sustainability,” stated Deka.
The model also introduces operational efficiencies. Instead of setting up separate residential infrastructure — a capital-intensive move — GCFC has leveraged Kaziranga English Academy’s existing facilities, channeling its resources into training expertise, youth scouting, and technical staff development.
While initial investments for the collaboration are internally funded, both partners acknowledge the need for future sponsorships to expand capacity, especially to accommodate students from economically weaker sections.
“Scaling the model would eventually require external support, be it corporate CSR partnerships or government linkages with sports development programs,” Deka said and further added, “With AIFF tightening licensing norms for clubs across age categories and encouraging more participation in youth leagues, structured academies offering both education and sports under a single framework are expected to gain regulatory and competitive advantages. Furthermore, Assam’s growing interest in football, as reflected in rising grassroots tournaments and talent emergence, presents a ready pool of aspirants.”
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Challenges Ahead:
However, Deka remarked that success will depend on critical factors beyond infrastructure and intent. “Ensuring high-quality technical training, maintaining academic standards, retaining experienced coaching staff, and securing sufficient competitive exposure for students through national-level tournaments will be essential to deliver outcomes that justify the premium fees charged.”
Moreover, the academy’s ability to integrate sports science — including injury management, nutrition, and psychological training — will determine whether it can genuinely compete with established national academies in cities like Bengaluru and Kolkata, where such services are now considered standard.
For now, the Guwahati City FC–Kaziranga English Academy partnership represents an important first-mover advantage in Assam’s evolving sports-business landscape. "This is a strategic tie-up ensuring optimized use of both institutions’ capabilities. If executed with consistency and quality, it could mark a significant shift in how talent is nurtured in the region — offering a blueprint for sustainable sports education models across Northeast India,” said Deka.
Post the launch, GCFC plans to expand its operations further. "In May, we are adding two more non-residential football academies — one at Manik Nagar near Ganeshguri here and another near the airport side inside a government campus. Both will have larger grounds than our current setups," Deka confirmed.
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