SR kicks off railway football tournament
The ground was colourful with 364 football players and 20 officials representing 13 Zonal Railways and Production Units who have arrived at Chennai to showcase their talent.
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CHENNAI: The newly modified Ayanavaram Railway football ground is ready to welcome the railway football champions from across India for the 79th All India Railway Football Championship hosted by Southern Railway after 42 years.
The ground was colourful with 364 football players and 20 officials representing 13 Zonal Railways and Production Units who have arrived at Chennai to showcase their talent. The matches will take place across two venues -- ICF Ground and Ayanavaram Ground, Chennai -- in a league stage format which will be held till August 31.
The championship ups the stakes as star performers from the league will be selected to represent the Indian Railways Football team in the forthcoming Santosh Trophy Football Championships. Last year South Eastern Railway from Kolkata grabbed the championship. Veteran football players Subrata Bhattacharya, who has been in the field since the 1980s, Debjith Ghosh, and Vimal Pariyar were honoured at the event.
Southern Railway Sports Association (SRSA) president and Principal Chief Electrical Engineer (PCEE) Somesh Kumar said, “Football championship was hosted last in 1982 by the SR. We are planning to make the ground into the national level and the inter-football tournaments would be held in future with all the amenities.”
