Former Indian Football Team Captain Renedy Singh, one of the best-known woman footballers of India Oinam Bembem Devi and President of Football Delhi and Ex-South Central Asia Development Officer for FIFA Shaji Prabhakaran have joined Vedanta Hindustan Zinc-initiated Zinc Football as part of the advisory board for the programme. 

The Zinc Football Advisory Board, consisting of the three experts at its core, will be providing their invaluable guidance and counsel for the betterment of the Zinc Football initiative along with providing key inputs to the leadership team at Hindustan Zinc for the programme. 

The Advisory Board will be co-chaired by Arun Misra, Chief Executive Officer, Hindustan Zinc Limited and Annanya Agarwal, President, Vedanta Football. 

The introductory meeting between the Advisors and Zinc Football team was held successfully on Thursday. The meeting was held on a virtual platform due to travel restrictions because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 

Expressing his enthusiasm over joining the Zinc Football Advisory Board, Renedy Singh said: “I am glad to be part of the Zinc Football Advisory Board along with Bembem and Shaji. With the kind of infrastructure and training programmes at Zinc Football, they have the potential to be among the best and produce some really exciting talents for Indian Football going ahead.” 

The iconic Bembem Devi expressed her delight saying, “I am excited to be part of the Zinc Football family. The facilities and management at the Zinc Football Academy are really impressive. During our days we didn't have too many facilities such as this and I am really happy that Vedanta Hindustan Zinc has stepped up for this initiative."

 Shaji Prabhakaran, President of Football Delhi said, “I have already visited the Zinc Football Academy and was happy by the world-class infrastructure out there. Now I am honoured to be part of this ambitious project as an advisor and together our endeavour will be to take the initiative to greater heights.”

A keen football enthusiast himself, Annanya Agarwal, President, Vedanta Sports, and Chairperson, Zinc Football Advisory Board, said: "I am delighted to welcome three veterans of Indian Football Renedy Singh, Bembem Devi and Shaji Prabhakaran to the Zinc Football project. They are an icon for our young footballers and I am sure under their support, inputs and guidance, Zinc Football, as a family, will revolutionize Rajasthan as well as Indian Football.”

Zinc Football is an initiative of Vedanta Hindustan Zinc to usher in a footballing revolution in Rajasthan. It is a one-of-its-kind grassroots development programme with technology and data analysis at its core at Zawar near Udaipur, Rajasthan. The programme is using football as a tool for social and community development and ensuring young boys and girls have a platform to express themselves through football.