A wonderful confluence of sports and talent was on show in the historic village of Gujjarwal in Ludhiana. TV9’s highly acclaimed talent hunt initiative, ” News9 Tigers and Tigresses,” in association with Bundesliga, has been a game-changer for Indian football’s grassroots developement.
The special team arrived in Gujjarwal for the TV9 Network’s News9 Indian Tigers & Tigresses season 2 trials conducted by the government of Punjab. Hundreds of children from several districts of Punjab participated in these trials in huge numbers.
Gujjarwal village in Ludhiana, known for its sporting heritage, is once again in the news. The TV9 team visited the village to evaluate players for the second season of the talent hunt. During the trials, intense competition and discipline were evident among the players.
The children displayed immense enthusiasm. Not only Gujjarwal, but also children from the surrounding areas participated enthusiastically. The children’s enthusiasm on the field was sky-high. The young players say that such platforms allow them to make their mark at the national and international level.
Boys and Girls Coach Gopi Thapa said that such shows provide the right direction to rural talent. “Our children have no shortage of talent; they just need the right platform.”
The villagers, along with many others who attended the children’s talent hunt, expressed their happiness, saying that it was a matter of pride for their village to be selected for this major event. The initiative, in collaboration with the government of Punjab, will encourage youth to turn away from drugs and toward sports.
TV9 Network’s News 9 Indian Tigers & Tigresses Season 2, in association with Bundesliga, has provided a great platform for the young footballers. The initiative aims to identify the best footballers for the grassroots level, and provide them with international-level training.
In season 1 of the TV9 Network’s News9 Indian Tigers and Tigresses, 12 girls and 16 boys, along with three Indian coaches, visited Austria and Germany after months of trials and a nationwide hunt for young footballing superstars.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a historic send-off to the country’s top young footballers selected in the football talent hunt programme at the ‘What India Thinks Today 2025’ (WITT 2025) Global Summit in New Delhi. Organised by TV9, India’s largest news network, the Global Summit was held in March 2025 at the Bharat Mandapam in Delhi.
Following the successful tour of Europe, the young footballers were welcomed at home by Honourable Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Austrian Ambassador to India, Katharina Wieser, at the Austrian Embassy.