Subroto Cup Football begins with glittering opening ceremony and celebration

Govt. Model HSS, Sector 36, Chandigarh and National Cadet Corps play out a goalless draw in the opening game of Boys U-14 category

Khel Today Bureau

New Delhi: The 61st edition of the Subroto Cup International Football Tournament began after a gap of two years, here at the B.R Ambedkar Stadium, marking the start of the most prestigious football tournament for schools all over the country. The tournament, organised by the Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education Society (SMSES) along with the Indian Air Force, witnessed a glittering opening ceremony in the presence of Chief Guest Air Marshal K. Anantharaman, VSM, Air Officer-in-Charge Administration and Vice Chairman, (SMSES), kicked-off the first match in the Under-14 Boys category between National Cadet Corps (NCC) and Govt. Model HSS, Sector 36, Chandigarh which finished in a goalless draw. Also present on the occasion were Commonwealth Games 2022 medal winners in weightlifting, Junior Warrant Officers Vikas Thakur and Gururaja Poojary.

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Speaking on the occasion, Air Marshal K Anantharaman, VSM, Honorary, Air Officer-in-Charge Administration and Vice Chairman, SMSES, said, “The legacy of the Subroto Cup is worth its weight in gold and it represents the need for children to be involved in sport and physical activities as much as studies, during these crucial formative years of their lives. Our champion athletes and Guest of Honour Vikas Thakur and Gururaja Poojary are the best examples of what sporting excellence can achieve. I wish all the participating teams all the very best and hope to see a confluence of young sporting talent compete ferociously, but with sporting spirit and discipline, something which sport imbibes in you for life. ”

Air Marshal Anantharaman, also felicitated the Guests of Honour for their Commonwealth Games performance on the occasion.

The opening ceremony also saw an eye-catching Rifle (.303, 5.5kgs) juggling performance by the Air Warrior Drill Team (AWDT) and a cultural programme involving school children of the Air Force Golden Jubilee Institute, Subroto Park. Before the kick-off, the oath of fair-play was also administered to the teams and a wonderful Air Force Band enthralled the spectators during half-time.

Govt. Model HSS, Chandigarh and NCC play out draw

Govt. Model HSS, Sector 36, Chandigarh and National Cadet Corps played out a goalless draw. There were not much clear cut chances in the game for both teams. The best chance of the game came for the Chandigarh as Maibam Borish Meitei missed a clear cut opportunity to score. 

15 matches will be played tomorrow across four stadiums – B.R Ambedkar, Tejas Park, Subroto Park and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. There are 32 teams divided into eight groups in the Boys U-14 category. The topper in each group will qualify for the quarter-finals.

A total of 92 schools representing 25 States and Union Territories of India have qualified across the three (U-14 Boys, U-17 Girls, U-17 Boys) categories and Air Force School, Bangladesh will also be competing in the tournament.

CEREMONIES

Opening Ceremony                            – 06 Sep 2022

Final Sub-Junior Boys (U-14)                        – 15 Sep 2022

Final Junior Girls (U-17)                        – 28 Sep 2022

Closing Ceremony & Final Junior Boys (U-17)            – 13 Oct 2022

ABOUT SUBROTO CUP

Subroto Cup Football Tournament is a prestigious international inter-school football tournament that is held annually in New Delhi, India. Named after the Indian Air Force Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee, it is an annual event that began in 1960. Students from different countries across Asia participate in this tournament, making it one of the more noteworthy school-level football competitions.

Subroto Mukerjee conceived the idea in 1958 when he was the Chief of the Air Staff. Subroto Mukerjee Sports Education Society was formed in 1960 after his untimely death in Tokyo. The first tournament was held in 1960, with participation of about 50 school teams. Since 1998, the tournament is played in two age groups, sub-Junior (under 14 years) and Junior (under 17 years). Madhyamgram High School, West Bengal has the record for winning this tournament (U17) the most number of times (7) which includes a hat trick of titles from 1981 – 1983.