The Sports Authority of India (SAI), like other football teams of major organisations, is preparing to form a national boys’ team of its own comprising as many as 20 players who will be selected through All India Inter Regional Football Tournament U-17 (Boys) tournament scheduled to be held from August 25 to 29.
The Under-17 (U-17) team will be selected from teams representing as many as eight zones of SAI- East, North, West, Guahati, Chandigarh, Central, Southern Centre and SAI Centre, Sonepath- and will represent SAI in all U-17 football events to be held at national level in future.
“Main objective of the programme is to select best 20 football talents from the competing teams so that SAI can have its own team to participate in tournaments at national level,” said Organising Secretary of the tournament, Bishwanath Singh.
Talking to media persons, State Co-ordinator and in-charge of SAI centre, SK Verma said, “Teams have started arriving and by tomorrow all teams will arrive.”
Today, teams of Chandigarh SAI centre- Haryana, Punjab- and Manipur of SAI North East Zone team arrived at Ranchi.
Final will be held on August 29 which is likely to be attended by Sports, Arts, Culture & Youth Affairs minister Gitashree Oraon and Director of the department Ashok Kumar.