Football: Ishan Hawari becomes first Indian to join Premier League youth program

Ishan Hawari has become the first Indian footballer to join a Premier League team's youth program.

The 16-year-old Ishan has joined Premier League club Everton's Football College under a community scholarship.

Ishan, who hails from Malappuram in Kerala, will work under the aegis of Joe Parkinson, a former Everton player turned coach.

Having started in football early in life, Ishan shot to fame after a video of his went viral on social media back in 2019.

He was then invited to join Minerva Punjab FC before switching to Reliance Foundation Young Champs.

Ishan toured to Italy in 2023 with RFYC, where he realised the difference in level of Indian and European football.

The Hawari family then decided to shift their base to Europe to help a young Ishan realise his footballing dreams.

Over the last couple of years, Ishan spent his time rising through the ranks of United Kingdom's grassroots football before being spotted by Everton.