Government Higher Secondary School from Arunachal Pradesh secured a victory in the opening match of the 64th Subroto Cup International Football Tournament. The match, held at the BR Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi on August 19th, saw them triumph over the Sainik School of Odisha with a score of 1-0. The tournament commenced with a grand opening ceremony, attended by Air Marshal S. Shivkumar VSM, Air Officer-in-Charge Administration, and the Vice President of the Sports Education Society, Subroto Mukherjee.
Air Marshal S. Shivkumar, in his address, stated that the 64th Subroto Cup is a testament to the enduring spirit of football in India. He expressed confidence that the tournament would not only showcase the skills of the young athletes but also inspire more people to embrace the sport.
The 64th Subroto Cup International Football Tournament began with a match in the Junior Girls (Under-17) category, where Lucky Liam Tamin scored the winning goal in the ninth minute. A total of 31 teams are participating in the Junior Girls category, divided into 8 groups, including teams from Sri Lanka. The winners of each group will qualify for the knockout round.
In total, 106 teams are participating in the tournament across three categories: Junior Boys (Under-17), Junior Girls (Under-17), and Sub-Junior Boys (Under-15). The competitions will run until September 25th. The top players from this tournament will be selected for trials in Germany for the TV9 Network’s News9 Indian Tigers and Tigresses Talent Hunt initiative. Over 200 matches will be played in Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru, after which the top players will be chosen for training in Germany through a final trial.
A total prize money of ₹35,60,000 has been announced for the competition. The matches will be held at the Tejas Football Ground, Subroto Park Football Ground, and Pinto Park Football Ground in New Delhi. In Bengaluru, matches will be played at the Air Force School Jalahalli, Air Force School Yelahanka, and the Headquarters Training Command Football Ground.
