PAMPORE, October 07: Kashmir City Football Club clinched the championship trophy after defeating Srinagar Stars Football Club 1-0 in the grand finale of the fifth edition of the IFA Pampore Football 7-A-Side Tournament held under floodlights at Saffron Town Pampore, on late Tuesday evening.
The final witnessed an exciting contest between Srinagar Stars Football Club and Kashmir City Football Club, with Kashmir City emerging victorious by a solitary goal.
Mohammad Azhar of Kashmir City Football Club was adjudged the Best Goalkeeper, while Shafayat was named Player of the Tournament and Zahid Yousuf was awarded Player of the Match.
A total of 32 teams from across the Kashmir Valley participated in the night tournament, providing young footballers with an opportunity to showcase their talent and gain valuable competitive exposure.
MLA Pampore Retired Justice Hasnain Masoodi was the chief guest on the occasion. He, along with other guests, distributed trophies, awards and cash prizes among the winners and runners-up teams.
A large number of football enthusiasts, players and spectators attended the final and cheered for both teams.
The tournament was organised by the local youth of Pampore with the aim of promoting football at the grassroots level and providing emerging players with a platform to develop their skills through competitive matches.
He said they want to encourage youth to stay actively involved in sports activities and keep away from drugs and other harmful activities.
Speaking to Morning Kashmir, MLA Pampore, Retired Justice Hasnain Masoodi, said it was a matter of great happiness that a night tournament was being organised under floodlights with the active support and participation of the local youth of Pampore.
He said the event sends a positive message to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir and urged them to stay away from drugs and other harmful activities. “Sports is one of the biggest tools to engage and empower youth. Those associated with sports are sending a strong message to young people to stay away from drugs and other harmful and negative activities,” he said.
Masoodi said the government has announced an allocation of Rs 50 lakh for the development of the sports ground and that the tendering process would also be initiated soon. He said the development and beautification of the ground would encourage local youth and motivate them to participate in sports and engage in positive activities.
He further said that the Indoor Stadium in the area is expected to be inaugurated by Sports Minister Satish Sharma in the coming days. He added that other sports grounds, including Iqbal Stadium, would also be developed to provide better sports facilities to the youth.
“The aim is to ensure that our youth remain inclined towards sports and that those who may have gone on the wrong path are brought back towards sports and other positive activities,” Masoodi said.
Speaking to Morning Kashmir, Tournament organiser Mohammad Adnan said that 32 teams from across the Valley participated in the tournament, which was played under floodlights. He said the competition provided local youth with an opportunity to showcase their talent while keeping them engaged in sports and positive activities.
He said the main objective behind organising the tournament was to encourage young people to stay away from drugs and other social evils.
“Our motive will remain to make our youth drug-free. We want to see a Nasha Mukt society, and in the coming days, our tournaments will also be dedicated to the Nasha Mukt campaign,” he said.
Adnan said the organisers want to ensure that the maximum number of young people remain engaged in sports. He also appealed to the government, particularly MLA Pampore, to ensure proper maintenance and development of the local sports ground so that young players can get better facilities and opportunities to hone their talent.
