ANI
19 Nov 2023, 00:37 GMT+10
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], November 18 (ANI): The Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS) will usher in an exciting new chapter with the introduction of one of India's leading grassroots football competitions in the picturesque valleys of Kashmir.
RFYS will be conducting tournaments across three age categories (U-15, U-21 for boys and U-19 for girls) as it embarks on a fresh journey in a region brimming with passion and pure love for the sport of football.
With an eye on playing a pivotal role in giving wings to the dreams of budding athletes from Kashmir, RFYS has partnered with the Department of Higher Education (UT of JammuKashmir) and the University of Kashmir for the Annual Inter College Boys tournament that is witnessing 29 teams squaring off in a total of 28 matches on-going from November 13-30, 2023, at the football ground of the varsity in Srinagar.
In addition, the RFYS U-15 Boys and U-19 Girls competitions will see 32 and 16 sides respectively from four districts of the Union Territory (UT) competing in the tournament.
"There is a lot of footballing talent in Kashmir. For RFYS to go there is a great initiative, and it is a good opportunity for youngsters to showcase their skills. There is a lot of potential amongst players in Kashmir and hopefully, they can go on to play in the Indian Super League (ISL) and the national team," Mehrajuddin Wadoo, former India international hailing from Kashmir, said in an interaction as quoted by a press release from Reliance Foundation.
"When I was in Mumbai for the Next Generation Cup, it was so good to see Indian clubs competing against their foreign counterparts. If you give them an opportunity, you see youngsters like Mohammed Sanan from the Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) playing for Jamshedpur FC and he scored a goal as well in the ISL. For any age group, you need sufficient playing time and if the RFYS is giving you that then there is nothing better than it, but you have to be at your best because people are watching you closely," Wadoo added, stressing upon the exposure and window of opportunities that a tournament like RFYS will open up for emerging footballers in the valley.
"The RFYS initiative is going to be very important for all the boys and girls who will participate in the competition. It will be a great opportunity and with people watching them play, it will be a good platform to show their talents. I wish the best of luck to all the participants. There is a lot of footballing talent in Kashmir and they require the stage that the RFYS will provide them. There is a lot of following for the sport there, and I hope it grows in the coming years. All stakeholders are working in coordination for the same and I hope more players from the region emerge and represent clubs in the ISL," said Danish Farooq, who belongs to Srinagar and plays as a midfielder for Kerala Blasters FC.
RFYS aims to professionalize the footballing structure in Kashmir by providing quality playing time, coach development and grants for football development. RFYS has impacted nearly nine million students since its inception, and the Kashmir leg is an important step in the future of the program.
There is a genuine interest in the sport in the valley and the tournament will be tapping upon that to create a pathway for promising players to realize their ambitions of stepping foot into and flourishing in the professional football setups in India. (ANI)
Get a daily dose of The UK News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to The UK News.
More InformationLESBOS, Greece: Greek authorities said a cargo ship sank off the island of Lesbos over the weekend during a storm, ...
COLUMBUS, Ohio: To stop the spread of bird flu, more than 1.3 million chickens will be killed on Ohio's Union ...
In a devastating turn of events, Israel's war on Gaza, sparked by Hamas's unprecedented attacks on October 7, has resulted ...
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana: In a Louisiana election where more than 43,000 people cast their ballots, a candidate for parish sheriff ...
LIVINGSTON, Kentucky: This week, railroad operator CSX said a train derailment involving 16 cars, two of which spilled molten sulfur ...
Fifty-seven journalists have been killed as of Saturday as a result of Israel's war on Gaza, which has extended to ...
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], November 30 (ANI): Punjab FC head coach Staikos Vergetis has urged his players to show character and ...
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], November 30 (ANI): Bengaluru FC head coach Simon Grayson feels that home advantage will be of great ...
white house - Vice President Kamala Harris will lead the U.S. delegation to the world's premier climate summit, the White ...
Kochi (Kerala) [India], November 30 (ANI): Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle felt that the result could have gone either ...
Kochi (Kerala) [India], November 30 (ANI): Kerala Blasters FC head coach Ivan Vukomanovic took valuable lessons from his side's performance ...
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], November 30 (ANI): Seeking their opening win of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 season, Punjab FC ...