Goa and Bhubaneswar ready to crown their champions

RFYS Football Tournament has gained momentum as in quick succession, RFYS cities are hosting their City Championship Finals. So far, 10 cities have crowned their city champions and 15 cities are yet to go for it. The number will soon come down to 13 as Goa and Bhubaneswar will be hosting the City Championship Finals on 19th November, 2018.

Goa is known for its ability to produce impeccable footballing talents over the years. Goa has been the most powerful football regions in India, along with West Bengal. With the inception of FC Goa in Indian Super League, the craze towards the game has been on the rise and it is about time that the footballing wizards from one of the most famous tourist spots in the world surface to the top and make it big on the national and international stage. RFYS Football is in its third year in Goa and this year too, some of the best teams have made it to the finals.

In School Girls category, Old Lady of Rosary HSS will be facing Regina Martyrum High School. Old Lady of Rosary HSS had a tough road, but they managed to emerge as winners in both the last two knockout matches. Regina Martyrum High School had a mix of extreme results. Along with two high-scoring wins, they also had two wins which went into the penalties. Among the Junior Boys, a free-scoring team of Progress High School are yet to concede, and they will face Rosary High School who also have been formidable in their every fixture so far.

Among the Goan College Boys, Sridora Cacula College have just managed to escape with a victory in Semi-final, with a 2-1 win and their opponents, Fr. Agnel, have been better just by a whisker. Their biggest victory came in the league stage where they won by 4-0. Given that in a city like Goa, one can’t expect easy matches. It would be fair to presume the contest would be nail-biting. Senior Boys of Govt. HSS have been scoring abundantly, but they did survive a scare in Semi-final where they were taken to penalties. However, Rosary HSS have been completely dominant in all the departments, scoring freely in all the matches and conceding none.

Another city to share the spotlight is Bhubaneswar, who are hosting their first ever RFYS Football Finals. After the launch of the famous Kalinga Stadium, the football culture in the city has blossomed. Youngsters from numerous institutes participated in huge numbers and the response to this year’s tournament has been phenomenal. To conclude the first phase of the tournament, School Girls of Govt. Girls High School will face Kalinga Institute of Social Science, who will have an upper hand heading into the finals considering their prior FT scores. Kalinga Institute have been excellent on the field with their attack and their opponents will be wary of it. Senior Boys of BJB Junior College, who had quite ups and downs throughout the tournament will face Sai International School, who’ve had a rough road, but their performance in the last two knockout games has been impressive.

Junior Boys of Capital High School have scored 19 goals so far without conceding one. Their opponents, Kalinga Institute of Social Science will have to be careful when they take on a team who are on a winning spree. Kalinga Institute of Social Studies will be entering in yet another Final with their team in College Boys category. They will be facing Ravenshaw University. Ravenshaw had a decent run towards the final, considering they didn’t lose a single match so far. On the other end, Kalinga Institute were not only unbeaten, but their scoring record also was remarkable. They’ve scored 16 goals in 4 matches and they will be looking to increase those numbers in their last match in City Championship.

No matter who wins the trophies in these two cities, the enthusiasm shown by the young players in this tournament deserves appreciation. In situations where mere participation also means a great deal of support for the sport which has started breathing life in this country, these young players are contributing to their future as well as to the country’s future with their participation. They will be playing tomorrow, on 19th November, and all the games will be Live on the Facebook Page of RFYS. Tune in and show your support to these budding stars.