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Media Brief
New Delhi, October 13, 2017
India’s biggest neighborhood football tournament for kids, now in its fourth edition, was started by the English daily Hindustan Times to bring communities together and encourage a healthy outdoor lifestyle.
While the digital revolution has made it possible for kids and adults to remain connected with each other round the clock, the flip side is that it has disconnected all of them from the real world. This is what led Hindustan Times to come up with GIFA, Great Indian Football Action, an inter-locality football tournament for children in Delhi NCR, 3 years back. It is a football league in which kids from Classes 5th - 8th (Juniors) & Classes 9th -12th (Seniors) participate, train and play hard to win the championship.
Now in its fourth season, HT GIFA is bigger and better than ever with participation from over 25,000 children. The tournament encourages kids to stay fit and pursue their passion for sports in today’s fast developing world of technologies. It is a platform for aspiring football players to train under the best football coaches with proper infrastructure and attain fame and recognition for their talent.
The opening ceremony of the Hindustan Times Great Indian Football Action was held at the Thyagaraj Stadium on September 16, 2017 & witnessed an audience of 6000 kids with their friends and families. The event was kick-started by Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar who is known for his inclination towards fitness, sports & adventure. Akshay said, “HT GIFA is a great platform for sports enthusiasts and provides an opportunity to connect with the people. I am overwhelmed to see the parents supporting their children to pursue sports as a profession for a healthy lifestyle”. The Khiladi has been associated with the tournament for 3 years.
With the idea to emphasize on the significance of fitness and encourage kids from localities to come together to play the most popular upcoming sport of the country, GIFA was initiated in the year 2014 with just 60 teams in Gurgaon. It is the first-of-its-kind inter-locality football tournament which provides a platform for kids and families to step out of their homes and play football regularly to fine tune motor skills, learn life lessons in team work and cultivate sportsman spirit.
Sharing his views on HT GIFA, Ashu Phakey, COO, HT said, "Over the last 4 years, the love and support which GIFA has received, from parents and children alike has made it India’s largest neighbourhood football tournament. Going beyond just football, it has helped with community bonding and created awareness on physical fitness and teamwork. We are indeed humbled to see GIFA becoming an integral part of the community."
Rajan Bhalla, Chief Marketing Officer HT Media Limited said, “Hindustan Times always endeavors to create meaningful difference in the lives of its readers, be it through taking up issues that matter or creating platforms which encourage talent. In a span of just 4 years, GIFA has established itself as an acclaimed and celebrated platform for young and talented kids to showcase their sporting skills. Some of the players at GIFA have potential to be future sports stars.”
This year, GIFA has collaborated with LaLiga as its Global Football Partner to give international exposure to the young players. Going beyond the senior & junior boys category teams, there is a special ‘All-girls league’ in this season, which has got a huge response from female footballers. The tournament has witnessed some of the best young players of the city showcasing their football skills on field. With GIFA, Hindustan Times is taking forward the government’s Mission 11 million program which was launched this year, to promote football in the country.
For further information, please contact:
Megha Verma
Email: megha.verma@hindustantimes.com