70th Bordoloi trophy set to kick off with focus on youth development

Guwahati, Jan 28: The 70th edition of the Bharat Ratna Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Trophy, organised by the Department of Sports and Youth Welfare, Assam, along with the Guwahati Sports Association (GSA) and district associations across the State, is set to begin on January 29. The tournament will be played across 35 revenue districts of Assam, marking a significant moment for football in the region.

At a press conference held on Monday at the Gauhati Town Club auditorium, GSA general secretary Devajit Saikia, GSA president Paresh Chandra Das, GSA sports secretary (football) L Pranab Singh and Saurav Chatterjee, director of Best of You India, outlined the details of the event. Saikia described the tournament as a 'new beginning' for football in Assam, underlining its potential to nurture young talent and provide players with a prominent platform to showcase their skills.

The tournament will be conducted in three stages. In the district round, a total of 280 clubs from across the State will compete, with eight teams representing each district. This stage will feature 525 matches played in a league-cum-knockout format. The winners from each district will advance to the Cluster Round and receive prize money of Rs 75,000.

In the Cluster Round, the teams will be divided into six regional clusters: Upper Assam, Northern Assam, Central Assam, Lower Assam, Barak Valley and the Capital Region. The winners of the clusters will be awarded Rs 1 lakh, while the runners-up will receive Rs 75,000.

The final round of the tournament will see two teams from the Guwahati Premier Football League -NF Railway Sports Association and Pride East Mavericks receiving direct entries. Additionally, two other teams, potentially from the Indian Super League (ISL), I-League, or international clubs, will join the competition. The champions of the tournament will receive a prize of Rs 10 lakh, while the runners-up and semi-finalists will be awarded Rs 5 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh, respectively. Individual awards, such as Player of the Tournament, Golden Boot, Golden Gloves, and Fair Play Team, will also be presented.

A key focus of this year's tournament is on youth development. To promote grassroots talent, each team is required to include at least five Under-19 players born on or after January 1, 2006. Among them, two U-19 players must feature in the starting XI, while three must be on the bench. Talent spotters will be present at all venues throughout the tournament to identify emerging players.

Thankful to CM: The GSA has expressed its gratitude to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for approving the revamped for-mat of the prestigious Bordoloi Trophy.

GSA general secretary, Devajit Saikia, lauded the CM not only for endorsing the new format but also for ex-tending invaluable support from the State government.