Raipur, April 1 -- Established in 1986 with the aim of uplifting tribal communities from the remote Abujhmarh region of Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Ashram has quietly grown into an unlikely cradle for football talent.

The Ramakrishna Mission Football Academy (RKMFA) in the Ashram is about 250 km from the state capital Raipur and its impact was visible at the ongoing Khelo India Tribal Games (KITG) 2026, where more than a dozen players across the men's and women's football squads represented Chhattisgarh after being groomed at the Ashram, according to a release. While the women's team qualified for the final, the men's team has also entered the semifinals.

Notably, the Khelo India Tribal Games ...