Mangalore, Jul 30: The biggest event on the district's football calendar, 18th edition of Independence Cup Football Tournament 2014 featuring 231 teams from schools and colleges from across Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kodagu districts, 2,800 players, kicked off on Wednesday at Nehru Maidan here.
Mangalore city Mayor Mahabala Marla inaugurated the tourney. Speaking on the occasion he announced that even the corporators of Mangalore have decided to play football under title of Mayor Cup'.
Dakshina Kannada District Football Association President D M Aslam says that it is high time the district administration supports the tourney as it has been virtually struggling for survival.
“It is not an easy task to conduct a 17-day tourney with 231 teams. The tournament provides a huge impetus to the football aspirations of schools and colleges in three districts,” he said. As MCC Mayor Mahabala Marla and district administration have promised to look into the matter, Aslam is keeping his fingers crossed.
Though girls team had participated in previous editions of the tourney, this is the first time women's team is competing in PUC and Degree sections. In higher primary category, as many as 36 teams are participating under boys section whereas 9 teams are in girls section. Eight teams are playing in the combined section of PUC and Degree for women. For boys, 36 teams are there in PUC section and 54 teams in degree section. In HS category, 16 teams are participating.
Aslam said that nearly Rs 60,000 will be given as prize money in the tournament apart from the trophies for winner, runner-up and for individual achievers. “The trophies are mainly sponsored, hence it is not a problem. Also, as most of the referees for the tournament are trained by district football association, their remuneration too is not a major heckle,” he said. But the huge expenditure is a cause for concern. The Rs four lakh corpus fund has been mobilised mainly from soccer loving friends and businessmen, he added.
Though affiliated to Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA), the district association is receiving no funds for the independence cup. “A consolidated amount of Rs 50,000 is the annual fund allotted from the KSFA. That itself is more than enough to organise league matches,” Aslam rued.
In football, DK district is a force to reckon with after winning the state-level inter-district football championship held at Shimoga recently. Two players, Trinita and Simran, represented DK in state women's football team and in under-14 section for boys, Fakis and Muhammed were from the coastal district who wore the Karnataka jersey. The rising excitement for football in Dakshina Kannada district can be gauged from the fact that only 28 teams had participated in the maiden edition of the tourney, whereas, this time, the figure has gone up to 231. In 2013, 194 teams competed in the tournament. The finals will be held on August 15.
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