Subhash Nagar School clinched the DDA Sports Cup (Hockey) title on Sunday, defeating Manav Sthali 3-0 in the final at the Hockey AstroTurf of Yamuna Sports Complex, as Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu attended the closing ceremony as Chief Guest and presented trophies to the winning and runner-up teams.
The tournament, organised by the Delhi Development Authority, ran from October 8 to 18, bringing together 11 teams from Delhi-NCR and around 220 players, coaches and support staff. Held in a league-cum-knockout format, the competition featured 20 matches across its nine playing days, comprising 12 league matches, four quarter-finals, two semi-finals, a third-place playoff and the final, giving young players sustained match exposure across the tournament’s duration.
The event was attended by former Olympians Ashok Dhyan Chand, Harvinder Singh and Ashok Dewan, alongside DDA Vice Chairman Dr N Saravana Kumar, senior officials, coaches and the participating teams and young players.
Subhash Nagar School’s championship win came with a cash prize of ` 31,000, while runners-up Manav Sthali received `21,000. OTHL finished third, taking home the bronze medal. Kartik Shukla of Manav Sthali ended the tournament as its top scorer.
DDA said the tournament was organised in line with the Prime Minister’s Fit India Movement, which encourages people, particularly youth, to make sports and fitness part of their daily lives. For the young players involved, the event offered more than a trophy, providing a structured platform to compete, gain match experience against teams from across the Delhi-NCR region, and showcase their individual sporting talent in a sport that holds a particularly storied place in India’s sporting history.
The presence of former Olympians at the closing ceremony added another dimension for the budding players present, offering direct interaction with athletes who had once represented the country at the highest level, a moment organisers described as both an inspiration and a reminder of the importance of nurturing young sporting talent early.
DDA currently manages 19 Sports Complexes, four Mini Sports Complexes and three Golf Courses across Delhi, facilities intended to give residents, especially younger ones, regular access to sports, fitness and skill development rather than only occasional tournament-level exposure.
Officials said the DDA Sports Cup was designed to do more than crown a winner, aiming to instil discipline, teamwork and sportsmanship among participating students through competitive, match-tested experience rather than isolated practice sessions.
Under Sandhu’s guidance, DDA said it remains committed to strengthening sports infrastructure across the city and creating more such structured opportunities for young, developing talent.