Bengaluru: In a significant move aimed at enhancing player welfare and strengthening the ecosystem of Indian football, the Football Players Association of India (FPAI) has entered into a strategic partnership with Rapid Sport Fitness (RSF), Bengaluru. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focuses on providing affordable, high-quality rehabilitation and fitness services to footballers across the country.
The initiative is designed to support players—both men and women—who often struggle to access premium rehabilitation facilities due to financial limitations. Under this partnership, footballers recovering from injuries will be able to undergo professional rehab at minimal cost, while athletes looking to maintain peak conditioning during the off-season can utilise RSF’s advanced facilities at subsidised rates.
Top Indian Footballers Attend Launch Event
The announcement was made in the presence of several leading Indian football names, including Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Chinglensana Singh, Ashalata Devi, and Sweety Devi. These players expressed strong support for the initiative and urged the FPAI and allied stakeholders to continue launching programs that address crucial gaps in player welfare and development.
FPAI Leadership Reaffirms Commitment to Player Welfare
Mehraj Uddin Wadoo, President of FPAI, shared his satisfaction with the partnership, reiterating that the association remains the voice of Indian footballers. He noted that several more welfare-oriented projects are currently in the pipeline, intended to benefit both men’s and women’s players nationwide.
Arindam Bhattacharya, General Secretary of FPAI, emphasized the need for unified action across the football ecosystem. He noted that collective participation from federations, clubs, and support organisations is essential for driving the growth and development of Indian football.
RSF to Offer Structured High-Performance Support
Chelston Pinto, Founder of Rapid Sport Fitness, highlighted the impact the partnership aims to create:
“We’ve officially signed an MoU with FPAI to support professional footballers across India in strength and conditioning, rehabilitation, and physical performance. Our goal is to help players recover confidently and progress in their careers through structured off-season training, return-to-play systems, and ongoing education. Many promising careers are affected by injuries at a young age, and we want to provide the right support to prevent long-term setbacks.”
A Major Step for Indian Football’s High-Performance Ecosystem
With injury management and recovery often posing major challenges for athletes, the FPAI–RSF collaboration marks an important step in building a reliable, accessible, and affordable support system for Indian footballers. By offering science-based rehabilitation programs and professional training infrastructure at low cost, the partnership is expected to play a key role in enhancing player longevity and overall performance.
