Chandigarh: Administrator's Challenge Cup from November 22, 18 teams confirm participation
Deepankar Sharda
Chandigarh, November 19
A total of 18 teams, including three from Chandigarh, have confirmed their participation in the weeklong 19th edition of Administrator’s Challenge Cup All-India Football Tournament, starting from November 22. The championship will be held in the boys’ U-17 age group and matches will be held at Sector 42 and Sector 46 sports complexes.
Last year, as many as 25 teams from across the country were invited to participate in the event. Besides two hosts of Chandigarh Hockey and Football Academy (Senior and Junior), other teams will be defending champions RoundGlass Football Club (Punjab), Chandigarh Football Association, Ideal Youth’s Association Football Club (Manipur), Keshab — Uma Charitable Trust (West Bengal), Rajasthan United FC (Rajasthan), Himalayan FC (Kinnaur), Kuljeet Football Academy (Amritsar), Sri Dashmesh Martial Sports Academy (Anandpur Sahib), Numaligarh Refinery Limited Football Academy (Assam), Football School of India (Navi Mumbai), BR Ambedkar Football Academy (West Bengal), Downtown Heroes FC (Jammu & Kashmir), Sportto Club (Kerala), FC Imphal City United Sports Club (Manipur), Casa Academy (Madhya Pradesh) and Muslim Football Club (Malerkotla) have confirmed their participation.
In the last edition, the RoundGlass Punjab Football Club recorded a 6-0 win over IYA, Manipur. The winner of this edition will be awarded Rs 2 lakh along with the trophy, while the runners-up will be given Rs 1 lakh prize money. The team finishing third will get Rs 75,000. The tournament is one of the oldest events organised by the UT’s Sports Department. Initially, it was played in the U-14 age group, but was later upgraded to the U-17 category.
Meanwhile, the participating teams will have to undergo an age determination test before the tournament and only those players registered under the All India Football Federation (AIFF’s) Central Registration System (CRS) will be eligible to participate. The age-verification committee, comprising senior coaches and a team of doctors, which will be constituted by the department, will scrutinise players before approving their participation. “The preparation for conducting the championship is already underway. This is the only annual event of the department, which hosts teams from across the country. It is also designed to give exposure to the hosts (Chandigarh Football Academy),” said a senior coach.
