Shri Vijay Goel, Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs & Sports inaugurates UFLEX Stairs School Football League 3
Shares his vision for Sports development in India along with Hon’ble Prime Minister ShriNarendraModi’s belief in “Khelega India, Khilega India”
New Delhi, October 22nd, 2016:ShriVijay Goel, Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs & Sports who inaugurated the UFLEX Stairs School Football League’s third edition on October 19th shared his vision for sports development in India and outlined the Government’s “mission 11 million”.
“The mission 11 million aims to train 11 million children in India on football in the next one year”, Mr.Goel shared. Mr.Goel also highlighted the personal interest shown by Hon’ble Prime Minister ShriNarendraModi in promoting and developing sports while mentioning Hon’ble Prime Minister’s belief that “Khelega India, Khilega India”
Appreciating UFLEX STAIRS School Football League’s contribution to support the development of Football in India through such massive league across Delhi and Gujarat, ShriGoel personally thanked Siddhartha Upadhyay, Founder and Secretary General of STAIRS for his role in promoting football talent in India. Mr.Goel also added “I used to playKhokho, Basketball, Tennis and was in NCC. I advice all of you to play sports with interest and passion.Football teaches sportsmen spirit and brings the country together. We have to develop ourselves strongly as the FIFA Under-17 is all set to take place next year.”
Shri. Rajiv Yadav, Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports said, “ Our Hon’ble Prime Minister has a vision of football being played in every Indian village. In line with this vision the Mission 11 million program has been planned by the Sports ministry to train 11 million schools students in football from all corners of the country. The Government will work organize Football clinics in schools and support in providing football training and coaching methodologies to strengthen the students on fundamentals of the game.”
“Even the great Swami Vivekananda said that playing football will take you closer to God than praying,” he added while encouraging students to play to the best of their abilities in the UFLEX Stairs School Football League 3. He also thanked and congratulated the UFLEX SSFL 3 team and Siddhartha Upadhyay on holding such an important tournament.
Brand Ambassador of UFLEX Stairs School Football League 3, legendary Cricketer and former captain of Sri Lankan Cricket team, Mr.SanathJayasuriya echoed the sentiments of Shri. Vijay Goeland Mr.Yadavby saying, “First of all I would like to say that Siddhartha and his team are working towards a great cause. Exactly 1 year ago, I was here for the SSFL 2nd edition and I am very happy to be here again for a worthy cause that Siddhartha and his team have been doing. I want to wish them good luck and I want to make sure that they go from strength to strength.”
“For any sport you need to put in lots of hard work, discipline, dedication and you need to sacrifice a lot. This program is going to produce a lot of sportsmen and sportswomen for the country. I wish everyone all the very best”, he added
Thanking the esteemed guests at the inauguration of the UFLEX SSFL 3, Mr. Siddhartha Upadhyay, Founder and Secretary General, STAIRSsaid, “When we talk about a billion plus population, my question is: how many of them play? There is a need to build the sporting culture at the grassroots, expand opportunities for children and help them discover their love and talent for sports. Stairs School Football League is seen as a game changer in the football journey of the country. Already 35,000 children have been enrolled with SSFL, and the aim is to cross 1,00,000 footballers on a permanent basis for scouting, training and development. This year we have added STAIRS football academics in various parts of Delhi and plan to open in Gujarat as well. This will further speed the process of producing champions in the country.”
In its third year now, Uflex SSFL – 3 will see more than 30,000 School level footballers from 2000 schools of Delhi & Gujarat participating in the tournament. The mega sports event will witness 4000 matches (500 in Delhi and 3500 in Gujarat) being played, making it the biggest as well as the longest ever football league at the school level. A total of 256 teams comprising 128 teams of under 14 boys and 128 teams of under 17 boys will be participating in the tournament. Apart from the boys’ team, the tournament will also see avid participation from32 girls’ teams in under 14 and under 17 categories.
The fundamental objectives of Uflex SSFL include –
- a) Transforming the sporting scenario at the grassroots,
- b) Uproot all obstacles confronting sporting talent at the hinterland and
- c) Nurturing future champions and creating opportunities for them to excel
Uflex SSFL-3 begins with league matches at over 8 different venues across four zones in Delhi while the semi-final and final games will be played at the central venue. The event is solely meant for the children under 14 years and under 17 years of age and exactly follows the FIFA World Cup format. All the participating school teams will also have to go through the qualifier rounds. For the 3rd season SSFL will be getting assistance from Sakaar Association for all its matches/ events in Delhi and from Gujarat State Football Association for all Gujarat-based matches.
The league has become one of the most significant ‘talent spotting’ platforms for clubs and bodies seeking to acquire talent right at early adolescence. While many officials and individuals from professional bodies keep their eyes on the budding players during the matches, selectors from international foreign clubs watch ‘live streaming’ of important matches and even call for recorded videos to assess the performance and potential of promising players.
About STAIRS:
STAIRS is a New Delhi-headquartered not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation (NGO) which aims to empower the underprivileged youth of India. It is committed to providing opportunities to the young Indians so that they can lead a life of dignity. The NGO, which started in 2000, nurtures the talented sportsmen at the bottom-of-the-pyramid to ensure sports become a mean of earning a living.
STAIRS also organises educational and health programmes and educates youth about the dignity of labour and equality irrespective of caste, creed or sex. STAIRS operates through its 300 centres spread across six states in India..
About UFLEX Ltd
Uflex is India’s largest end-to-end flexible packaging company and an emerging global player. Since its inception back in 1983, Uflex has grown from strength to strength to evolve as a truly Indian Multinational with consumers spread across the world. Uflex today has state-of-the-art packaging facilities at multiple locations in India with installed capacity of around 100,000 TPA and has packaging film manufacturing facilities in India, UAE, Mexico Egypt, Poland and USA with cumulative installed capacity in excess of 337,000 TPA.
All Uflex plants are accredited with ISO 9001, 14001, HACCP & BRC certifications. Uflex caters to markets spanning across the globe in over 140 countries like USA, Canada, South American countries, UK and other European Countries, Russia, South Africa, CIS, Asian and African nations. Integrated within its core business profile are allied businesses like Engineering, Cylinders, Holography and Chemicals which further give Uflex a superior edge above competition.
Uflex Limited is also a part of the D&B Global Database and winner of various prestigious national and international awards for its products’ excellence. Uflex offers technologically superior packaging solutions for a wide variety of products such as snack foods, candy and confectionery, sugar, rice & other cereals, beverages, tea & coffee, dessert mixes, noodles, wheat flour, soaps and detergents, shampoos & conditioners, vegetable oil, spices, marinates & pastes, cheese & dairy products, frozen food, sea food, meat, anti-fog, pet food, pharmaceuticals, contraceptives, garden fertilizers and plant nutrients, motor oil and lubricants, automotive and engineering components etc.
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