The 64th edition of the Subroto Cup starts on 19 August in New Delhi, with 106 teams participating in the school level tournament, including four international parties.
The Subroto Cup will witness players who compete in three categories: Junior Boys (U-17), Junior Girls (U-17) and Sub-Junior Boys (U-15).
The tournament, organized by the Subroto Mukerjee Sports Education Society (SMSEs) under the auspices of the Air Force Sports Control Board, will be held at locations in Delhi NCR and Bengaluru until 25 September.
«We will have international teams from Sri Lanka and Nepal, which speaks volumes about the global reach of the tournament and the rising status,» Si Air Marshal Sivakumar told reporters.
«While we continue to pursue our ultimate goal to cherish young talent, this tournament offers an ideal platform for school children to show their talent, to get exposure and prepare for progression to football at senior level.»
As part of the Talent identification campaign «Indian Tigers and Tigresses», seven players will be selected during the tournament for advanced training in Germany.
The Indian women’s football player Dalima Chibber adorned the opportunity as a guest of honor.
«This is where my journey started in 2011, and I have the privilege of being part of this and sitting here, life has come a complete circle for me,» she said.
«We are going to a golden future. Recently our U20 team is also qualified for the Asian Cup. It is a sport that plays every country. We are taking steps in the right direction, and it is a matter of time before we achieve success.»
The Subroto Cup was held for the first time in 1960 and was conceptualized by Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee to promote basic football in India. In the course of the decades it has become one of the most sought after interscholes tournaments in the country.
The tournament starts with the Junior Girls (U-17) category in Delhi NCR on 19 August, followed by the Sub-Junior Boys (U-15) category in Bengaluru from 2 September. The final phase, with the Junior Boys (U-17) category, will start in Delhi NCR from September 16.
In Delhi NCR, competitions are held in Ambedkar Stadium, Tejas Football Ground, Subroto Park Football Ground and Pinto Park Football Ground. In Bengaluru, competitions are organized at Air Force School Jalahalli, Air Force School Yelaanka and the HQ Training Command Football Ground.
The 106 participating teams will represent various states, trade union areas and educational authorities, together with four international teams. More than 200 games are planned to be played in all three categories.
An age determination test is performed for the Sub-Junior Boys category in Bengaluru to guarantee fair play and transparency.
«This year we will perform a skeleton-time determination test according to the guidelines of the All India Football Federation,» said Air Marshal Sivakumar.
In the previous edition, TG English School, Bishnupur (Manipur) was crowned in the Junior Boys category.
Mother International School, Ranchi (Jharkhand), defended his title in the Junior Girls category, while Nongiri Presbyterian Secondary School, Meghalaya, the sub-junior boy trophy in Bengaluru lifted.
(with PTI entrances)
