The action is heating up in the Hero U15 Youth League with just a handful of games left to be played in Groups A, B & C, Group D just underway and Groups E & F expected to start in January 2016. Here are all the Week 8 results from across the country:
There’s been so much action in the Hero U15 Youth League over the last couple of weeks that we’ve barely been able to keep pace with the developments! Here’s a quick summary of the results from weeks 6 and 7 from around the country:
Source: Essel Group Website
In fantastic news for grassroots football in Mumbai, the Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA) and, the city’s only I-League club, Mumbai FC, have come together to launch the Masters League to give children across the country’s commercial capital an opportunity to showcase their talent. To be played on weekends from January 16, 2016 in a league + knockout format, the league is open to boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 14 years.
This weekend, the U15 Youth League saw 8 matches being played. But before we take a look at what happened over Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, let’s quickly recap the Goa Zone’s (Group C) last Monday and Tuesday matches. Last Monday, Dempo Sports Club U15 played host to Salgaocar FC U15. The match started off on an interesting note when Dempo’s Aaron S. Alvarez was shown a yellow card in the 20th minute. Nine minutes later, their opponents faced the same fate, when Salgaocar’s Riston Colaco was also given a yellow by the ref. Both teams were unable to score, and the match ended in a goalless draw. On Tuesday evening, Sporting Clube de Goa U15 took on SAI-Goa U15 at the Don Bosco Ground. Things got interesting just before the half time whistle, when the ref showed SAI-Goa’s TH London a yellow. Early on in the second half, Sporting Clube de Goa’s Sahil Sunil Halankar netted the ball off a pass from Desmond Fernandes in the 51st minute. SAI-Goa was unable to recover from the goal against them, and the match ended 1-0 in favour of their opponents.
It’s been 4 weeks since the Hero Under-15 Youth League kicked-off, and the competition is really heating up! The Goa Zone (Group C) started off the week’s proceedings, when Dempo Sports Club U15 handed Sporting Club de Goa U15 a 5-0 hammering on Tuesday. Dempo were quick to start, scoring as early as the 9th minute. Baggio Fernandes then netted the ball in the 30th minute again, giving Dempo a 2-0 lead before half time. In the second half, Aaron Alvarez fired a brace, and assisted a third to give Dempo a massive 5-0 victory.
With the long Diwali weekend on, this Friday saw two Hero Under-15 Youth League matches being played. In the Kolkata-Jamshedpur Zone (Group A), Mohun Bagan AC U15 met SAI-East U15 on Friday afternoon at the Mohun Bagan ground. The hosts were put on the defensive when SAI-East’s Israfil Dewan netted the ball just before half time. He scored again in the second half, giving them a lead of 2-0. A late goal in the 79th minute by Mohun Bagan’s Kartick Mondal, however, was not enough for the team and the hosts ended up with a 2-1 loss. At the Cooperage ground on Friday evening, the Maharashtra Zone (Group B) saw an exciting match between Mumbai FC U15 and PIFA Sports U15. Goals by Clivert Millar and Kamran Ansari in the 22nd and 82nd minute respectively gave Mumbai FC a comfortable win over their local rivals.
Six games were played in Week 2 of the Hero Under-15 Youth League matches, and we’re here to give you a glimpse of what went on. In the Kolkata-Jamshedpur Zone (Group A), Tata Football Academy U15 came face-to-face with Mohun Bagan AC U15 at 2 pm on Saturday at JRD Sports Complex. While the first half ended goalless, three quick goals in the 50th, 53rd and 71st minutes gave Mohun Bagan a comfortable 3-0 victory over TFA. The SAI Ground in Kolkata witnessed a mighty clash on Sunday afternoon, with East Bengal FC U15 taking the lead with a quick 11th minute goal by Kousik Santra. However, SAI-East U15 equalised in the beginning of the second half, when Abhijit Mondal netted the ball in the 52nd minute. The game would end in a 1-1 draw. The match between Mohammedan SC U15 and United SC U15 was goalless until the 66th minute when a goal from Surajuddin Munshi secured a 1-0 victory for Mohammedan SC U15.
The much awaited Hero Under-15 Youth League kicked off last weekend in the Kolkata-Jamshedpur Zone (Group A) with a lot of fanfare and the Maharashtra Zone (Group B) is now set to start tomorrow. Saturday’s game sees traditional Mumbai rivals, Mumbai FC playing Kenkre FC at Cooperage followed by a couple of more games on Sunday featuring Pune FC against DSK Shivajians FC at the Pune FC Training Pitches, Mamurdi and PIFA Sports taking on debutants, Steadfast Academy in Bhiwandi.
While giving U15s competitive match experience is a key objective of the Youth League, another important consideration of the league is to see clubs promoting local talent, ideally from within their existing grassroots program.
Far removed from the floodlights of the Indian Super League, there’s a quiet buzz around I-League club offices across the country. The Under-18 I-League has already started in almost all zones, but it’s the Under-15 Youth League that has captured everybody’s attention within the football fraternity – coaches and parents alike. Several meetings and delays later, it’s finally happening – India’s Under-15 Youth League is here and all set to begin tomorrow. The first match of the league will see Mohammedan Sporting Club host Mohun Bagan AC in a Kolkata derby with other zonal leagues around the country slated to kick off within a week.
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