Jamshedpur, May 9: After qualifying for the prestigious Federation Cup for the first time a couple of months ago, the Tata Football Academy (TFA) created another history today by making entry into the top rung of the National Football League.

The soccer academy won the second division title of the National Football League (NFL), defeating Churchill Brothers 2-1 in its last outing in Bangalore today. With 12 points in its bag, the academy has now secured a berth in the premier division of the NFL.

Never in its two-decade history has it qualified for the premier league.

An elated TFA chief Satish Pillai said the credit for this goes to the boys who put up a brilliant performance against their strong opponents.

?I feel proud to be part of the TFA. The boys have proved that they have been taught good values. We hope to continue with our good form in the premier division,? he added. Left-back Robert Lalthlamuana Zuchhip and striker Vimal Pariyar were the star players of today?s match.

Earlier, the academy boys had defeated Army Sports Club 1-0, lost to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) 0-1, beat Vasco Sports Club 2-1 and State Bank of Travancore 2-0.

The outfit scored seven and conceded three goals in the final round of the second division NFL. TFA had qualified for the Federation Cup after emerging as the top 16 teams in the country. The entry to the Federation Cup was possible after the outfit, along with Churchill Brothers and SBT, made an entry into the final round of the second division NFL.

The qualifying round was held in the city in March this year. While Churchill Brothers topped with 10 points, TFA secured nine. SBT managed eight points in their kitty. ?It?s for the first time that we have entered the premier division. It became possible due to the dogged determination of our boys,? they added.

The TFA team for the final round comprised most of the academy pass-out boys. The 2002-06 batch of the academy played 38 tournaments, of which they won 31 and drew five.