58th Subroto Cup International Football Tournament, New Delhi Utlou High School off to a flying start
Source: The Sangai Express / Agencies

New Delhi, August 23 2017: The 58th edition of the most famous inter-school football competition in India, the Subroto Cup International Football Tournament, got underway at the BR Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday with the Opening Ceremony and the inaugural match between the teams of Manipur and Haryana .

Utlou High School, Manipur made a flying start to the Under-14 Sub-Junior Boys category of the Subroto Cup Football Tournament when they beat Vishvas Nav Sharda Public School, Haryana 5-0 .

Manipur dominated the match as they took a 2-0 lead by first seven minutes.

Haryana were never in the match as they conceded four goals in the first half .

The win saw Manipur claim all the three points in their opening encounter whereas there will be a lot to ponder upon for the Haryana team who seemed to lack attacking flair and could not defend well on the flanks .

8th Subroto Cup International Football Tournament, New Delhi Utlou High School off to a flying start

The tournament will continue tomorrow on the second day where 16 teams will go head-to-head with the aim of starting their journey on the front foot .

The tournament is named after the former Indian Air Force Air Marshal, Subroto Mukherjee, who had conceived the idea of organising a tournament for the young kids of the country .

The Opening Ceremony of the tournament was graced by the chief guest, Indian Air Force Air Marshal, H N Bhagwat, who addressed the gathering on the occasion .

The Indian Air Force chief inspired the young footballers with his address as he also talked about the dream of late Subroto Mukherjee, who had died untimely in Tokyo, Japan.

The event also saw band performances from the Indian Air Force personnel who showcased their marching skills to the amusement of the crowd.

After the opening ceremony, it was time for the much-anticipated opening game of the Under-14 Sub-Junior Boys tournament which consisted of the best school teams from Manipur and Haryana.

The tournament comprises 73 teams from across the globe who will play 50-minute matches, divided into two halves of 25 minutes each, with a half-time break of 10 minutes .

The 58th Subroto Cup will see participation from 99 school sides in three categories – Sub-Junior boys (U- 14), Junior Boys (U-17) and Junior Girls (U-17).International teams from Singapore, Nepal, Indonesia and Afghanistan have also confirmed their participation.