New Delhi: A total of 106 teams in three categories will compete in the Subroto Cup International Football Tournament, which will begin on August 19 and stretch till September 25.
Spread across junior boys (U-17) and girls (U-17) and sub-junior boys (U-15) categories, more than 200 matches will be played in New Delhi NCR and Bengaluru after which seven players shall be scouted for training in Germany under TV9 Network’s Indian Tigers and Tigresses talent hunt initiative.
This is the second consecutive year that TV9 Network has collaborated with Subroto Cup with the aim of nurturing budding talent.
Teams from four foreign countries, including Sri Lanka and Nepal, will participate, it was announced at a press conference in the Capital on Tuesday where India international Dalima Chhibber was the guest of honour.
Speaking at the event, Air Marshal S Sivakumar VSM, Air Officer-in-Charge Administration and Vice Chairman Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education Society (SMSES) said: “The Indian Air Force and SMSES have been committed to make the tournament bigger and better every year, providing a platform for young kids to take the next step in their career.
“We will have international teams from Sri Lanka and Nepal participating, which speaks volumes about the tournament’s global reach and rising stature.
“As we continue to pursue our ultimate goal of nurturing young talent, this tournament provides an ideal platform for school children to showcase their talent, gain exposure and prepare for progression into senior-level football.”
He added that a skeleton age determination test will be carried out for the sub-junior boys category to prevent age fraud and ensure fair play for the participating teams.
A total prize money of Rs 35,60,000 was announced for the competition, whose matches will be held at the Tejas football ground, Subroto Park football ground and Pinto Park football grounds in New Delhi.
In Bengaluru, matches will be held at the Air Force School Jalahalli, the Air Force School, Yelahanka and the HQ Training Command Football Ground.
The 64th edition of the Subroto Cup will kick-off on August 19. Photo: Special Arrangement
Rich history
The tournament will begin with the junior girls category in New Delhi on Aug 19, followed by the sub-junior boys category in Bengaluru from Sept 2, rounding off the tournament’s final phase with the junior boys section on Sept 16 in New Delhi NCR.
India defender Dalima, who had played in the 2011 edition of the tournament, said she feels privileged to have been a part of this tournament.
“We are heading towards a golden future. Recently, our U20 team also qualified for the Asian Cup. It is a sport that every country plays, we are taking steps in the right direction and it is a matter of time that we achieve success,” the 27-year-old said.
Manipur’s TG English School are the defending champions of the junior boys category while Jharkhand’s Mother International School retained their junior girls title last year.
Meghalaya’s Nongiri Presbyterian Secondary School claimed the sub-junior boys title in the last year’s edition.
Conceptualised by the late Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee to promote grassroots football in the country, the tournament was first held in 1960 and has steadily increased in stature since.
In past editions, the likes of Bhaichung Bhutia, Shyam Thapa, Prasanta Banerjee and Robin Singh have played in the Subroto Cup and then gone on to represent the India senior men’s national football team.