Football Delhi launches second season of Golden League

Football enthusiasts gathered for the launch of the second edition of Golden League on Sunday at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.

Close to 500 budding footballers thronged the stadium to witness the kick-off, backed by the league's sponsors ONGC and Power Finance Corporation.

After a successful inaugural edition last year, the league, aimed at providing a platform to boys and girls between the age group of 5 and 11, is all set to get bigger and better with the inclusion of a unique data system -- FD Connect.

Speaking at the launch, Shivendra Dutt Shukla, General Manager (HR) and Head Corporate Sports, ONGC, said, "It is the first federation in Delhi which promotes grassroots level games. This will help the children not only with sports or personality, but also with their studies."

Last year, the Golden League saw 176 teams playing a total of 751 matches. This time, more than 200 teams are expected to register for the second edition of the league. A total of 1,200 matches across 15 venues will be played this season. The league will have matches on 12 consecutive Sundays with 100-150 matches each day, starting from October 13.

Football Delhi President Shaji Prabhakaran said, "This is an ambitious project and would not have been possible without the support of all the stakeholders, sponsors and parents who have come out in huge numbers to the ground to support the league."

The league will have teams in three different categories -- U-7, U-9 and U-11 -- and will have both boys and girls in the participating teams. It will provide more points to the teams with more number of girls.IANS