UditVani, Jamshedpur: Jamshedpur FC has marked a landmark moment in its youth development journey by naming 19 Jharkhand-born players in its Under-14 squad for the AIFF Sub-Junior League 2025-26-the first time the club will field a predominantly homegrown team at this level.
Among them is Kartik Marandi, a young footballer from a small village in Dhanbad district, whose journey began at a Tata Steel Foundation (TSF) grassroots centre near his home.
From local training grounds to the national stage, Kartik’s story mirrors that of 18 other boys who have risen through a structured grassroots pathway to earn their places on merit.
The 20-member squad has been selected after an extensive three-month scouting and evaluation process.
Most of the Jharkhand players were identified from TSF grassroots centres across the state, while four players were picked from the Jharkhand State Sub-Junior team.
Karthikeyan is the lone outstation player completing the squad. The team has been undergoing structured training at TFA for the past two months.
Coached by Rahul Raj, former head coach of the Jharkhand State Sub-Junior team, the squad reflects a clear long-term vision-developing players progressively through age groups with the goal of shaping future professional footballers.
“This is a very special moment for us. Having 19 players from Jharkhand in the Under-14 team shows the quality of talent coming through the grassroots system in the state,” said head coach Rahul Raj.
While the remaining fixtures of Group ‘G’ in the zonal round are yet to be confirmed by the AIFF, the opening match will mark the first competitive outing for this historic Jamshedpur FC Under-14 side.
Squad List
Goalkeepers:
Harsh Toppo, Chayan Malakar, Sonu Murmu
Defenders:
Krish Kumar, Aditya Khalkho, Budhram Ho, Gurba Hembram, Adarsh Gope
Midfielders:
Piyush Mahato, Subham Behera, Karan Mahali, Arsal Murmu, Pritam Arijeet Bhadra
Forwards:
Deepak Behera, Kartik Marandi, Ashraful Rahbar, Sonaram Tubid, Harendranath Soren, Indra Marandi, Karthikeyan M
A proud moment for Jharkhand football-where grassroots dreams are steadily turning into national opportunities.
