Bhubaneswar: The 29th edition of the MCL Cup-2017, an Inter-School Football league-cum knockout tournament, organised by Unit-VI Athletic Association, will start August 8 at Unit-VI High School ground here.
Twenty four teams will be vying for top honours in the close to month-long tournament including last year’s finalists Kalinga Vidyapith and Vikash Residential School. The group stages will be played August 8 to August 24 followed by the quarterfinals and semifinals which will take place, August 26 to August 30. The final comes off September 3.
During the tournament, promising talents will be screened for an advanced coaching session at the TFA in Jamshedpur.
Dillip Kumar Das, secretary, Unit-VI Athletic Association, expressed his concerns regarding the state government’s apathy towards the event. “We have approached the state government about this tournament many times before, but we haven’t received any help. We are still hopeful that someday our efforts will bear fruit as we conduct the event for the development of football in Orissa,” Das pointed out.
Prafulla Mishra who had represented the state in the Santosh Trophy in the past said, “This tournament is of great help for the players at the grassroots level. Every year it is growing bigger and I am sure in the years to come the event will unearth many more footballers who will make the state proud.”
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