The Semi Finalists are here!

It’s been a roller-coaster ride for the 32 football teams who were the part of RFYS National Championship 2018-19. The biggest event of RFYS Football started on 29th December with the teams across four categories divided into two groups of four teams each. Each team played one game against every team in their respective groups and after 6 days of exhilarating football, the top two teams from each group have qualified for the Semi Finals, which will be held on 4th December and 5th December at Reliance Corporate Park, Navi Mumbai.

In the Junior Boys category Group A, the teams looked strong on the paper and their statistics seconded their strength. Maharana Pratap Sports College (Dehradun), St. Anthony’s HSS (Shillong), Ved Vignan Maha Vidyapeeth (Bengaluru) and St. Vincent’s High School (Pune) were all eyeing for the top two spots. However, St. Vincent’s High School fell short of expectations and they lost all the three matches they played in the group. Ved Vignan Maha Vidyapeeth tried their best, but their efforts were not good enough. Maharana Pratap Sports College and St. Anthony’s HSS each won the first two of their matches and when they faced each other, Maharana Pratap Sports College proved themselves to be better on that day, just by a whisker. They topped the group with St. Anthony’s HSS in the second spot.
In Group B, Chowbaga High School (Kolkata) and Vedas International School (Delhi) were successful in grabbing the most points by defeating Narayan Nair Memorial HSS (Kozhikode) and Emerald Heights International School (Indore). Chowbaga High School were rampant in their goal-scoring and scored 12 goals in just 3 games, deservingly topping the group.

School Girls category didn’t lack any excitement either. In Group A, Govt. Girls HSS (Coimbatore) were neck-to-neck throughout the competition with Anchalik Jatiya Vidyalaya (Guwahati). The drew 3-3 when they faced each other, but won rest of their games. As a result, Shri Guru Harkrishan SSS (Ludhiana) and Father Agnel (Delhi) had to pack their bags after their dismal performance at the biggest stage. In Group B, Nilamani English School were simply breathtaking with each of their performance. They won all the three games in their group and that created and interesting vacancy for the second spot. In the last game, Nilamani English School faced Our lady of the Rosary HSS and denied them the chance to qualify. On the other hand, Faith HSS defeated Telangana State Sports School (Hyderabad) and secured their berth in the Semi-Final spot of National Championship.

The Senior Boys category was probably the most exciting category of all. The teams as strong as Shillong College HSS, Rosary HSS, JJ Govt. Boys HSS and DAV Inter College were all in Group A. Shillong College HSS outran everyone by securing 9 points and topped the table, whereas Rosary HSS won two out of three fixtures to secure second spot in the group. Group B wasn’t any easier. If the likes of Thakur College (Mumbai) and Minerva Public School (Chandigarh) are eliminated in the group stage, it tells a lot about the quality of winning teams. Kozhikode’s Malabar Special Police HSS and Kolkata’s Gangadharpur Vidyamandir came above all odds and made it to the Semi Finals.

In the Group A of College Boys category, Shillong College continued to stay at the top, while Guru Hargobind Khalsa College secured their place after their win in the last fixture against Indira College of Commerce and Science, Pune. City College of Commerce & Business (Kolkata) was another team to be eliminated along with Indira College. In Group B, it all went down to the last two fixtures. SRM Institute had to win against St. Wilfred PG College, who had lost both of the first two fixtures, in order to qualify. However, they lost that game and that gave a huge relief to Thakur College (Mumbai) and Nirmala College (Kochi), who then played the last game of the group stages to decide their position in the table. Nirmala College managed to win that game 2-1 and finish at the top.

The Semi Finals for Junior Boys and Senior Boys will be held on 4th January, while Semi Finals for School Girls and College Boys will be held on 5th January at Reliance Corporate Park, Navi Mumbai. All the matches will be telecasted live on Facebook page of RFYS as well as on the website.

Semi Final Fixtures -

4th January
Junior Boys -

SF 1 - Maharana Pratap Sports College vs Vedas International School
SF 2 - Chowbaga High School vs St. Anthony’s HSS

Senior Boys -

SF 1 - Shillong College HSS vs Gangadharpur Vidyamandir
SF 2 - Malabar Special Police HSS vs Rosary HSS

School Girls -

SF 1 - Govt. Girls HSS vs Faith HSS
SF 2 - Anchalik Jatiya Vidyalaya vs Nilamani English School

College Boys -

SF 1 - Shillong College vs Thakur College
SF 2 - Guru Hargobind Khalsa College vs Nirmala College

The Semi Finalists are here!