Harpal Singh Bedi/ New Delhi–
It was budding footballers day as 500 of them gathered at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on Sunday to witness the kick-off, backed by its sponsors, public sector giants ONGC and Power Finance Corporation.
After a successful inaugural edition last year, the homegrown unprecedented league, aimed at providing a platform for boys and girls from 5 to 11 years of age group, is all set to get bigger and better with the inclusion of a unique data system – FD Connect.
Speaking at the launch, Dr. Shivendra Dutt Shukla, GM (HR)- Head Corporate Sports, ONGC, said, “It is the first federation in Delhi which promotes grassroots level games which includes age category of 7-9 and 9-11 kids. This will help these children not only with sports or personality but also with their studies.”
Last year, the Golden League saw 176 teams playing a total of 751 matches. This time, 200+ teams are expected to register for the second of the league. A total of 1200 matches across 15 venues are to be played in this edition. The league will have matches on 12 consecutive Sundays with 100 – 150 matches on each day, starting from October 13.
Football Delhi President Shaji Prabhakaran said, “This is an ambitious project and would not have been possible without the support of all the stakeholders, sponsors and parents who have come out in huge numbers to the ground to support the league. I would also like to thank Sports Authority of India for their support to host this event at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.”
This distinctive league will have teams in 3 different categories – U-7, U-9 and U-11 and will have both boys and girls in the participating teams. In order to encourage more young girls to play football, the league will provide more points to the team with more number of girls.
