When thinking about a football player what comes to mind? A tall, muscular physique is much more advantageous than a petite physique. 

Indian Football has a significant history of struggling to scout tall players. However, now the national football federation, All India Football Federation (AIFF) is locating specific regions of the country to address rather than solve this ongoing problem. 

AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, while speaking with The Indian Express, stated that- they are focusing on the regions in the West - such as Rajasthan. Even when the state doesn’t have much knowledgeable football history. 

The president stated -  “During one of my trips around the country watching football, I spotted that players from Rajasthan would stand out because of their height. That made me explore the idea of keeping an eye on them. So I spoke to officials of the Rajasthan State Association to look for 14-15-year-old boys and develop their skills. There is a high probability that they will be close to 6’3″ or 6’4” when they reach the senior level,”. 

One of the clubs assigned in this scouting process is Rajasthan United. The I-League club chairman, Krishan Kumar Tak, notified that his team has addressed a few places in the state where the players are tall. The team is setting the players for trials for those players on a regular basis. 

Krishan Kumar Tak, stated - “We’ve identified three places in the state: Chittorgarh near Udaipur; Ganganagar and Hanumangarh; and the Mewar belt. We noticed that people are genetically taller here, so we started holding trials there almost two years ago. Normally taller people hunch a bit, but it wasn’t the case here,”.

Identified players are placed in age-group academies to refine their skills, aiming for a chance to be drafted into the club’s senior team.

Tak further continued - “Most of the players in our team are about six feet tall. Even the foreigners we sign are tall. It isn’t by accident. It’s a conscious decision to focus on taller players. Our ultimate goal is to provide the national team and other Indian clubs with such players,”.  

He revealed the clubs are aiming to scout at least 35 players from different areas of Rajasthan till now the number has reached eight. 

Chaubey highlighted the fact that the Indian football ecosystem currently is dominated by the northeastern player. He stated - “What I have noticed is that in the Indian team, we have players from the Northeast who have the speed and skill but aren’t that tall. At times, this can be a disadvantage in international games. So we are attempting to address this issue by roping in players from Rajasthan and developing them,”.

Indian football has witnessed a remarkable new trend with players like former captain Sunil Chhetri and rising star Lallianzuala Chhangte, who consistently captivate with their exceptional performances and blistering speed. However, height remains a key advantage in the game, prompting scouts to continue searching for players with the ideal physical attributes.