PANAJI
Eight teams across four categories will compete in the Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS) football finals to qualify for the nationals to be held in Mumbai.
The RFYS has received good support from educational institutions across States including Goa. The Goa leg kicked off on September 26 and has witnessed a staggering 708 goals scored in 153 games, with a total of 194 teams participating in the league stages across four categories “ Junior Boys, Senior Boys, Senior Girls and College Boys.
The Goa leg finals will be held at Duler Stadium in Mapusa on November 19. In the Junior Boys category, Marina English High school will take on Our Lady of the Perpetual Succour High School. The former beat Our Lady Mother of the Poor High School 1-0 in the semi-finals to make it through to the summit clash while the latter won 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw. In the Senior Boys category, St Alex Higher Secondary School will face off against Govt Higher Secondary School, Sanquelim. The former were big winners in the semi-finals winning 3-1 while the latter won by a solitary goal.
The Senior Girls category will feature Carmel Higher Secondary School against Rosary Higher Secondary School in what promises to be a high intensity clash. While Carmel went down to their final opponents earlier in the season, they will look to avenge the defeat in the finals after having netted an impressive 12 goals against Guardian Angel Higher Secondary School. The College Boys category sees Rosary College of Arts and Commerce take on SS Dempo College. Both the finalists were 6-1 victors over their respective semi-final opponents and they will look to continue that form when they clash.
The tournament has been a great success for everyone involved and it has helped the younger generation hone their footballing skills. With football on the rise in country, it will go a long way in helping more people from the younger generation take a keen interest in the sport in the coming years. RFYS is working to professionalise school and college sport competitions with a unified approach towards creating an ecosystem to encourage, support and define a career path in sports for India's youth.
