The Hindu : Sport / Football : Schools League final phase

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Wednesday, May 06, 2009
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Schools League final phase

KOCHI: Kerala’s big search to spot young, talented footballers — the Vision India Project’s State under-13 Schools League — will have its final phase at the Maharaja’s Stadium here from May 12. The Schools League, first mooted by the Asian Football Confederation and funded by the Kerala State Sports Council, will have the champion schools from seven districts clashing with each other in the seven-day event.

Ernakulam’s Sacred Heart HSS (Thevara), Kannur’s K.P.R. Gopalan Memorial GVHSS (Kallissery), Kozhikode’s St. Joseph’s Boys HSS, Malappuram’s Government VHSS (Mampad), Thrissur’s Government BHSS (Chalakudy), Pathanamthitta’s St. John’s HSS (Eraviperoor) and Thiruvananthapuram’s Leo XIII HS (Pulluvila) have emerged as the champion schools in the seven districts selected earlier.

“Next year, we will have all the 14 districts in the Schools League,” said the State Sports Council President T.P. Dasan at the media meet here on Tuesday. Eight schools, with 40 boys from each school, were selected from each of the seven districts and given training in the first phase at the end of which, each district had an inter-school competition.

The State Sports Council had given Rs. 50,000 earlier to each district to purchase around 300 balls and 300 pairs of football boots, with each player assured of a ball and a pair of shoes.

“That was just an advance amount, we will be reimbursing all the districts for the amount spent on balls and boots,” assured Mr. Dasan. “We have fixed a budget of Rs. 25 lakh for the first phase and each district will get around Rs. 1.5 lakhs.”

The Pipefield Group will also provide a football kit to all the players in the final phase. — Principal Correspondent

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