That contradiction was hard to ignore when the 65th edition of the Subroto Cup was announced on Wednesday. India are ranked 138th in the FIFA men’s world rankings. Yet this is also the country that hosts the world’s largest school football tournament. Teams from Sri Lanka will also participate this year.
This year it will be played between August 18 and September 24. A total of 107 teams will take part – 38 in junior boys, 35 in sub-junior boys and 35 in the girls’ category.
The numbers are impressive. But the real significance of the Subroto Cup lies in what happens after the final whistle. Indian football has long struggled with the gap between potential and opportunity. The Subroto Cup tries to bridge some of that gap. Air Marshal S Sivakumar believes the tournament also needs to be seen by a wider audience. The organisers are putting more money behind this 65th edition of the tournament too. Former winners and scholarship recipients have gone on to play at senior level, including for India, while others have found roles in the wider football ecosystem. AIFF coaches and club talent scouts will watch these young guns in action, hoping to find academy players.
Bhaichung Bhutia , Robin Singh, Nirmal Chhetri, Dalima Chibber have all come through this tournament, which has seen over 30,000 school teams participate over the years. The matches will be played across 5 grounds in Delhi and 3 in Bengaluru. The total cash prize is ?37.7 lakh. Interestingly, 90 promising players will receive one-time scholarships. The number has gone up from 75.
“At the moment India is a one sport country,” he said, while encouraging more people to come and watch the matches.
