New Delhi, Jun 5 (IANS): Minerva Academy FC were adjudged winners of Football for Friendship Award 2021 on Saturday.

The purpose of the award is to attract attention to children's football development, with its main goal being to identify new online and offline ideas for training of young footballers.

The applicants submit their projects, which include ideas, tools and mechanics that can be applied by organisations specialising in football training.

UEFA sponsorship manager, Keiren Nokes, announced the award virtually in the presence Brazilian great Roberto Carlos, who played more than a decade for Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Minerva Academy FC won the award for its 'unique and relevant project AFCAI (Association of Football Clubs and Academies in India)'.

The project identified the problems of politics, high costs and lack of sustainability associated with setting up and operating a local football club or academy in India. The AFCAI aims to address these issues by bringing together clubs and academies from all over the country and networking them on a common platform to allow exchange of ideas and resources.

Director, Minerva Academy FC, Henna Bajaj, said: "We're delighted to have won the award. We hope that AFCAI's presence increases multi-fold so that we have more quality football clubs and academies in India, enabling us to become a football powerhouse."