Lucknow footballer wins Delhi leg of 'Million Dollar Kick'

Lucknow University goalkeeper Arshad Khan took the first step in a possible dream journey to American Football in the NFL as he won the first of the series of 'The Million Dollar Kick' city try-outs here today.

The 20-year-old Arshad, who had never even heard of American Football or NFL 'kicked' his way into the National Finals of 'The Million Dollar Kick' at the Siri Fort Grounds at the conclusion of three-day trials, which saw nearly 100 participants from Northern India.

Arshad, who has played for Lucknow University in Under-16 and Under-19 state teams, topped the Delhi leg with a best kick of 61 yards, as against the NFL record of 64 yards, set by Matt Prater in 2013.
 

However, Prater's kick was with the football gear, including the helmet, in a match situation and Arshad touched 61 yards without any gear.

Apart from a place in the Grand Finals of 'The Million Dollar Kick' in India, Arshad also received USD 15,000 as a prize for his outstanding performance. The prizes were given by the organisers.

"Arshad has immense talent and we would love to see him make a mark in NFL in the US," said Neeraj Sareen, Managing Director of Sports Mantra, which organised the Try Outs.

"I'm delighted that we are bringing 'The Million Dollar Kick' which is legendary due to the 'unearthing' of two Indian Major League Baseball stars and the subsequent Hollywood movie. We want to create a similar platform for the 'kickers' across India and make the NFL dream a reality," he added.

Arshad was one of the seven players chosen for the National Finals to be held at a venue and date to be announced later. The winner will be trained and given a try out in NFL in the United States.

"My coach and football secretary in Lucknow, Mr. Kanhaiya Lal, told us of this opportunity, even though we did not know anything about American Football or NFL," said an excited Arshad, who came to Delhi with his senior teammate Mohammad Ali Akhbari.

Of the 100 starters, 63 went into the city final by going past the qualifying mark of 35 yards. Right behind the winner Arshad was Mithun Samanta at second with 60 yards. Kushant Chouhan and Kuber Bisht of Delhi were tied for third at 58.3 yards and Sumit Yadav of Ghaziabad was fifth at 57 yards.

Mohammed Ali Akhbari, a teammate of the winner Arshad at Chowk Sporting Football Club in Lucknow, was chosen as a wildcard as he injured his groin after showing great promise in the preliminaries. Also picked as a second wildcard was Rahul Bahadur of Delhi.

'The Million Dollar Kick' was presented by the creators of the world-famous 'Million Dollar Arm' franchise that led to Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel playing in the US Major League Basesball and the Delhi-based sports marketing and events company Sports Mantra.

The grand prize will be an all-expenses paid trip to the US for an American football coaching course at one of America's top colleges, followed by a trial with top NFL teams to join their roster as an 'NFL Kicker', which could herald the start of the India story in American Football.

Delhi is the first of six cities for the City Try Outs, which are open to all males above the age of 16. They just need to turn up and 'kick'.

Each participant gets to take 10 kicks and at the end of each 'City Try Out' a number of participants will make it to the Grand Final. The Try-Out moves from Delhi to Ahmedabad and then to Kolkata, Shillong, Kochi and Goa.