First-ever night football meet gets thumbs up from Valley

Rifat Mohidin

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 10

To encourage young sports lovers, the Delhi Public School, Srinagar, is holding the first-ever night football tournament in the Valley where 16 teams from different schools are participating.

The tournament began on September 7.

Vijay Dhar, pro vice-chairman of the school, said the idea behind the tournament was to provide a platform to talented students.

“The idea is that why shouldn’t our children get the same facilities like those in other states and countries. On the first day, there were 3,000 people watching the match. It was very encouraging. We will hold such tournaments in the future as well,” Dhar said.

“Along with academics, we want that children should excel in sports as well. Equal importance is given to girls taking part in sports,” he said.

The final match of the tournament will be held on September 16.

The tournament, titled ‘Chinar Cup’, has been organised by the school in collaboration with the Army Public School, Srinagar.

Of late, many young people in the Valley have shown a keen interest towards sports activities. Many have made their name at the national level and are pursuing professional training in different parts of the country.

The previous government also took several initiatives to engage a large number of youth in sports activities but proper infrastructure is yet to be provided in all the districts.

The students taking part in the night tournament are excited, saying it is something different for them.

“It is good that the school has developed the infrastructure to give us a unique experience. We hope such initiatives continue,” said Adil Ahmad, a student.