MARKING its silver jubilee, the Shridhar Wasudev Dhabe Memorial Slum Football Tournament will kick off from August 1, across 20 venues in the city, promising to be one of the most significant community sporting events. “The tournament started in 2001 and after completing 25 glorious years, we are now stepping into the silver jubilee edition. Each centre will field 20 teams with winners and runners-up from all venues converging for the grand finals at Bokhara from August 25 to 29,” said Prof Vijay Barse, Founder and Secretary of Krida Vikas Sanstha (Slum Soccer) during a presser on Saturday. Slum Soccer, which has blossomed into a powerful movement that has transformed thousands of young lives over the past 25 years, will witness an impressive turnout of more than 5,000 players representing around 320 teams.

 

The tourney shall be played in the all knock-out format at various slum and community grounds. The tournament has consistently served as a beacon of hope for underprivileged youth from slum communities. By providing a healthy platform, it helps young boys and girls showcase their talent, develop leadership qualities, stay away from drugs and social evils and chase their dreams through the unifying power of football. “The champion team will be awarded a prestigious trophy. Our long-term vision is to take this movement forward by organising a state-level tournament in Bhandara and Gadchiroli and eventually a national-level event in Gujarat, particularly in Baroda,” Barse added. Branch members Suzan Fernandiz, German football coach Benedikt Buschhoff, Tournament Co-ordinator Pankaj Mahajan and Project Manager Richa were present during the presser.