Team News Riveting
Raipur, December 17
Football lovers of Bhilai-Durg and nearby areas area are in for a treat as the year draws to a close and the new year begins.
Out of the 50 teams from 36 states that would be participating in the prestigious HERO Under-17 Youth Cup 2022-23, five teams representing Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh would play each other twice at football ground in Pant Stadium, Sector 1.
Bhilai has been chosen as one of the 10 venues where the matches would be played firstly because of its excellent sports infrastructure and secondly because Bhilai Steel Plant is the sponsor for RK Mission team that is playing as one of the participating teams representing Chhattisgarh.
Beginning 29th Dec 22 and ending 6th Jan 2023, ten matches would be held at Pant Stadium Football Ground on alternate days, with two matches to be played on each day.
The tournament matches in Bhilai that would be played on Round Robin League basis is being sponsored by All India Football Federation, Chhattisgarh Football Association and Bhilai Steel Plant. Pant Stadium was chosen as the venue since the stadium is well-equipped with all the necessary facilities including well-maintained football ground, dressing room for 30 persons, rooms for match officials and referees etc.
The four teams that would play in Bhilai include the state school champion team from R K Mission, Narayanpur that is representing Chhattisgarh, Mutthut Football Academy representing Kerala, Chennai Football Club, Premier Sporting Academy representing Bihar and Diamond Rock Football Academy representing Madhya Pradesh.
The football teams of R K Mission, Narayanpur are sponsored by SAIL-Bhilai Steel Plant. R K Mission with whom SAIL-BSP has partnered in many CSR activities in Rowghat region of Bastar, including jointly organising Khel Mela at Narayanpur every year for schoolchildren in the tribal belt, has been encouraging tribal youth to take up football. Besides sponsoring the RK Mission football teams, SAIL-Bhilai Steel Plant extends financial support and provides kits etc to the players.
While both the Under 17 and Under 14 teams of RK Mission are the current state school champions, the Sr Men’s Team from RK Mission that had won the Sr Men’s State League, Chhattisgarh last year, would be playing in the AIFF Championship next year. By virtue of being state champions, the Under 17 and Under 14 teams of RK Mission teams had participated in prestigious Subroto Cup last year.
