Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS) Football Championships
Prize money and RFYS scholarships
A country-wide school and college competition in football and athletics, with city championships leading to national championships.
Mode
In-Person
Fee
Free
Participation format
Individual and team
Teams of 1 to 18
Duration
One season, running from the city championships through to the national championships
Eligibility
Open to students of schools, junior colleges and colleges across India, entered by their institute rather than individually. Football runs age categories for boys and girls, with under fifteen and under seventeen in the latest published regulations. Athletics runs class bands from Class 7 and 8 up to Class 11 and 12, plus a college tier. RFYS publishes an overall span of 12 to 21 years and may change the categories offered each season.
- Grade level
- Grade 7 to 12
- Age range
- 12 to 21 years
- Eligibility region
- Available nationwide across India
- Academic requirement
- Full-time enrolment at the registered institute. Students of open schools or distance learning programmes are not eligible for institute teams, and post-graduate and diploma students cannot enter the college categories.
- Prerequisites
- Institute registered with RFYS
- Full-time student at that institute
- Valid date of birth proof
See if your child qualifies.
Rewards and recognition
Award
Award money and scholarships
Winning and runner-up institutes receive award money in each category, and selected athletes receive an RFYS scholarship. The amounts are set by RFYS each season and are not published on the official site.
Prizes
Trophies and medals
Medals and certificates are presented in each event, category trophies go to the best athlete and the winning institute, and football centres award a Golden Boot, Golden Ball and Golden Glove.
Certificate
Certificate for every participant
Every participant receives a participation certificate, and medal winners receive a corresponding certificate at both the city and national stages.
Career pathways
RFYS shares details of its strongest players with more than 75 clubs and academies across India, and past participants have gone on to professional contracts.
Recognition
National championship stage
Skills your child builds
How to apply
- 1School or college registers free on the RFYS portal
- 2Institute picks the city championship it will enter
- 3Institute registers its players with age proof
- 4RFYS reviews and approves the entry
- 5Team plays its city championship fixtures
Rules and guidelines
- Entry only through a registered institute
- One category per student per season
- Date of birth proof required for every player
- Anti-doping rules apply to all participants
- Football squads of 11 to 18 registered players
About this opportunity
Reliance Foundation Youth Sports is a country-wide school and college sports competition run in football and athletics. Institutes enter their teams and athletes, and compete in city championships that lead on to national championships.
Entry is through the institute, never by a student directly. A school, junior college or college registers on the RFYS portal and then registers its players, and accredited clubs and academies may also enter football teams. Football is played in age categories for boys and girls, while athletics is organised in class bands from the sub junior group up to a college tier.
Football matches follow the Laws of the Game and are controlled by match officials appointed by RFYS, with technical conduct supported by the All India Football Federation. Athletics events follow international competition rules with technical conduct by the Athletics Federation of India, and both sports apply strict age verification and anti-doping rules.
Winners receive trophies, medals and certificates, winning and runner-up institutes receive award money, and selected athletes receive RFYS scholarships. Details of the strongest players are shared with a nationwide network of clubs and academies, and former participants have gone on to professional contracts in Indian football.
Rounds and format
The season opens with city championships at RFYS championship centres. Football centres run one of three formats decided by RFYS: a straight knock-out, a knock-out qualifier feeding an extended league, or a pure league, with the top four of a league advancing to a Final 4 to decide the centre champion. Athletics city championships run preliminary rounds where entries are too large for a single final. Centre winners and the best performers then progress to the national stage, which football reaches through national qualifiers.
How entries are judged
Football results are decided on the pitch under the Laws of the Game. League matches award three points for a win and one for a draw, with ties broken by goal difference, then head-to-head points, then goals scored, then goals conceded. Knock-out matches level at full time go straight to penalty kicks with no extra time. In athletics, placings decide medals, and the institute title in each category is decided on points, seven for first down to one for sixth, plus one point for each athlete who meets the qualifying mark. The individual best performance award goes to the highest score on the international scoring table.
Selection process
Progression is earned on the field. In football, the winner of a knock-out centre or the league leader is declared the RFYS centre champion and moves on to the national stage. In athletics, the top six performers among the event gold medallists across all cities in each category advance to the national finals, with two further wildcard places for the best performers of the city leg. Institute titles are decided on accumulated points, and RFYS scholarships go to athletes chosen against its own criteria after the national finals.
Academic details
Difficulty: Mixed Levels
Frequently asked questions
Can a student enter RFYS without their school taking part?
No. RFYS states that students cannot register independently. Participation depends on the school, college or an accredited club registering first, so parents should raise it with the sports teacher.
What does it cost a family to take part?
Registration and participation are free of cost. Families should plan only for travel to the city championship venue and for the team kit, which RFYS does not cover.
How are players kept in the right age group?
Every player registers with a birth certificate or national ID, and RFYS may verify eligibility independently. Age fraud and doping breaches both lead to removal from the tournament.
What happens to students who perform well?
RFYS shares details of its strongest players with more than 75 clubs and academies across India, and selected athletes receive an RFYS scholarship after the national finals.
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