Under the leadership of the state fire minister and the chairman of the Bidhan Nagar Gold Cup committee, Sujit Bose, the week-long school football championship is set to add grandeur in its third edition. The tournament, as revealed by the chairman at a media conference on Friday, will take place at 12 different grounds across the Bidhan Nagar area from June 8th to 14th. The event will see 24 teams competing, involving 240 players who will showcase their skills and sportsmanship.
Bose claimed the key purpose of organizing this tournament is to explore and nurture the grass-route football development for the prospect of the game in the state.
Former Indian internationals who were present at the media conference also heaped praise on the chairman’s initiative. One of them, Prasanta Banerjee said, “School football is the foundation. Unless we focus there, we cannot expect to revive the state’s rich football legacy. We need serious investment and attention to continue and develop this program which Bidhan Nagar Gold Cup chairman has been showing for the last three years.”
The unveiling of the mascot and team jerseys was distributed on Friday evening, marking a significant milestone for this year’s edition of the tournament. The ceremony witnessed the presence of several football stalwarts, including Samaresh Chowdhury, Bikash Panji, Aloke Mukherjee, and Sumit Mukherjee. The former players jointly called upon both the central and state governments to create more structured opportunities for schoolchildren to develop their football abilities.
Bose also highlighted the tournament’s growing scale and importance. He stated, “This year’s edition reflects our commitment to continue nurturing local talent and promoting football as a serious sport in the state.”
