63rd Subroto Cup to kick-off on 5th August with the Highest Participation in the History of the Tournament

• 111 teams across three categories, including eight international teams, will be seen in action
•  Sub-Junior (Under 15) category introduced for the first time in the tournament 

The 63rd Subroto Cup will indeed be historic given that the most number of teams in the long history of the tournament will be participating in this edition. The Indian Air Force and SMSES are committed to make the tournament bigger and better every year, providing a platform for young kids to take the next step in their careers. I congratulate all the teams who have qualified for the tournament and wish them all the very best. May they play the game in the true spirit of sportsmanship- Air Marshal RK Anand VSM, Air Officer-in-Charge Administration & Vice Chairman, Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education Society

Khel Today Bureau

New Delhi: The prestigious Subroto Cup International Football Tournament will kick off its 63rd Edition with 111 teams vying for top honours across three categories, Junior Boys, Junior Girls and Sub-Junior Boys. The tournament, scheduled to be hosted across New Delhi NCR and Bengaluru from 5th August to 11th September, will witness it’s highest-ever participation till date. An official announcement to this effect was made at a press-event at the Akash Officer’s Mess in the national capital, in the presence of     Air Marshal RK Anand VSM, Air Officer-in-Charge Administration & Vice Chairman, Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education Society (SMSES), who graced the occasion as Chief Guest. Paralympic legend and Padma Shri and Khel Ratna awardee Dr. Deepa Malik also graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour. 

The Subroto Cup, hosted by the Subroto Mukerjee Sports Education Society under the aegis of Air Force Sports Control Board, was first held in 1960 and is named after Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee, who conceived the idea to promote sport at the grassroots level.

The tournament will kick-off on August 5th with the Junior Girls (Under 17) category in New Delhi NCR. The Sub-Junior Boys (Under 15) category will be hosted in Bengaluru from August 19th, while the final phase of the tournament, the Junior Boys (Under 17) category, kicks-off on 2nd September in New Delhi NCR. 

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Air Marshal R.K. Anand VSM, Air Officer-in-Charge Administration & Vice Chairman SMSES, said, “The 63rd Subroto Cup will indeed be historic given that the most number of teams in the long history of the tournament will be participating in this edition. The Indian Air Force and SMSES are committed to make the tournament bigger and better every year, providing a platform for young kids to take the next step in their careers. I congratulate all the teams who have qualified for the tournament and wish them all the very best. May they play the game in the true spirit of sportsmanship.”

The best player from the Junior Boys & Girls (U-17) categories will be given exposure at Indian Football Centre in Austria/Germany, underlining the Indian Air Force’s commitment towards the development of grassroots football. 

In another historic feat, teams representing Ladakh and Punjab will be participating for the first time in the tournament, increasing the representation of states and Union Territories to an all-time high. This year’s tournament will also see teams from four foreign countries participating, namely Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will participate in all three categories, while teams from Bhutan and Nepal will participate in the Sub Junior Boys (U-15) and Junior Boys (U-17) categories, respectively.  

Besides the hallowed Ambedkar Stadium and the Tejas Football Ground in New Delhi, G.D. Goenka Global School and KIIT World School in Gurugram will be the venues in the Delhi/NCR region. In Bengaluru, the matches will be played at the ASC Centre, the Air Force School, Jalahalli, the Air Force School, Yehalanka, and the HQ Training Command Football Ground. 

The total of 111 teams participating across the three categories will represent States and Union Territories (UTs), the different educational bodies of the country, and teams from four foreign countries. Over 200 football matches are scheduled to be played across all three categories. 

An age determination test will be conducted for the Sub-Junior Boys category in Bengaluru to ensure fair play for all the teams participating. 

Govt. Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 37B, Chandigarh are the defending champions of the Junior Boys category, while St. Patrick’s High School, Gumla, Jharkhand defended their title in the Junior Girls Category in the 62nd edition. Minerva Public School, Mohali became the first team to win the Subroto Cup representing the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) when they clinched the Sub-Junior Boys title at Bengaluru. 

THE SCHEDULE:

Junior Girls (U-17) : August 5th – 14th 

Sub-Junior Boys (U-15) : August 19th – 28th 

Junior Boys (U-17) : September 2nd – 11th 

CEREMONIES

Opening Ceremony – 5th August 2024

Final Junior Girls (U-17) – 14th August 2024

Final Sub-Junior Boys (U-15) – 28th August 2024

Closing Ceremony & Final Junior Boys (U-17) – 11th September 2024.