Clubname: | Nita Football Academy |
Fullname: | Nita Football Academy |
Owner: | Nita Football Trust |
Chairman: | Subrat Das |
Mgrtitle: | Head Coach |
Manager: | Pratima Biswas |
League: | Indian Women's League Odisha Women's League |
Nita Football Academy is an Indian football club and academy based in Cuttack, Odisha. It is the first private residential football academy of Odisha based in Cuttack. They are the current champions of the Odisha Women's League. They finished runners-up in the 2023–24 season of Indian Women's League 2 which enabled their promotion to the top tier Indian Women's League.[1]
Established in 2011, Nita Football Academy was founded by the Nita Football Trust with the mission of promoting football, particularly among underprivileged girls. The academy is affiliated to Cuttack District Athletic Association, Football Association of Odisha (FAO) and conditionally accredited as an Advanced Private Residential Academy by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).[2] [3]
At its headquarters in Cuttack, the academy has girls in Under-19, Under-17 and in Under-15 categories getting training under full inhouse coaches (AIFF B, C and D certified), supporting coaches, administrative staff, matron, hostel facilities, full-fledged canteen, physiotherapist, ambulance services, on-call doctor and an advanced gymnasium etc. The academy also takes care of the player’s education by providing facilities in the technical education (owned) and in the general education in nearby school and colleges.
The academy also operates in Puri to train students using the infrastructure facilities of Puri Zila School in various sports such as Football, Handball, Kabaddi and Table Tennis with dedicated coaches for the respective sports. In 2022, Puri Zila School was the champions at district level for both girls and boys and runners up in state hand ball school level championship.
The academy’s mission is to empower girls, promote equality, and produce skilled players who can represent India, internationally. Through football, the academy aims to bring about positive societal changes, empower the underprivileged and create a sustainable football ecosystem in Odisha.