The 65th edition of the Subroto Cup has brought together 106 teams across categories, with matches played in Delhi NCR and Bengaluru. Till 1997, the tournament was conducted only for the Boys U\u201117 category.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In 1998, the tournament introduced a Boys U\u201114 category, and in 2012, it added the Girls U\u201117 category to encourage football in the country further.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Named after the first Indian Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee, the tournament began in 1960. Conceived in 1958 by Mukerjee, a keen football enthusiast, the Subroto Mukerjee Sports Education Society was formed after his untimely demise in Tokyo.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The first edition drew about 50 school teams, all from Delhi. Today, nearly 34,000 school teams from across India compete at the state level before qualifying for the main tournament.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Over the years, teams from Brazil, Australia, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Switzerland, Sweden, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Israel, Bhutan, the UAE, Indonesia and Uzbekistan have participated, giving the competition international status.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The first edition drew about 50 school teams, all from Delhi. Today, nearly 34,000 school teams from across India compete at the state level before qualifying for the main tournament.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
On Tuesday, the Army\u2019s Eastern Command congratulated the Aizawl girls on social media, posting: \u201cInto the Final! Eastern Command congratulates the young players on their outstanding performance and wishes them the very best for the Final. Go for glory!\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n