VIJAYAWADA : Eager to cash in on the unbridled frenzy whipped up by World Cup football in Germany, the Krishna District Sports Authority (KDSA) and Krishna District Football Association (KDFA) are jointly planning to organise a football mela in Vijayawada from July 1 to 7, in which competitions will be held for school, college students and local clubs.

Speaking to The Hindu , District Sports Development Officer B. Sudhakar said on Sunday that the ongoing World Cup football extravaganza had evoked tremendous interest among youngsters. "We are keen to exploit their enthusiasm for a productive purpose. These tournaments will help bring them closer to the game," he felt.

Letters despatched

KDSA had already dispatched letters to all schools and colleges in Vijayawada highlighting the purpose of the tournament. "Matches will be held for school children separately and colleges and clubs will be clubbed into a separate pool. Matches will be held at Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation Stadium," he added.

Clubs like South Central Railway, Rayanapadu Workshop, Vijayawada Blues, C.R. Das Football and Andhra Loyola College, V.P. Siddhartha College and K.B.N. College will vie for honours. "As many as 12 schools - St John's Public School (Gannavaram), NSM Public School, VPS Public School, KCP Siddhartha Adarsh Public School (Kanuru), VAM High School, APSRM High School, SKRM High School, Bishop Grassi High School (Gunadala) and Gandhi Municipal High School are taking part," said SAAP football coach Pandu.

Jerseys

Mr. Pandu also said that efforts were on to supply jerseys to players with names of the World Cup teams embossed on their T-shirts. "Names such as Brazil, Argentina, Italy and Portugal on their T-shirt will give them a sense of joy and also enable them to give their best shot," he felt.

Keeping in view the academic compulsions, the organisers are planning to hold the tournament in the evenings. "We are planning two games every evening from July 1 to July 7. Depending on the standard of play, we will be stipulating the playing time," Mr. Pandu said. Similar to World Cup tradition, the organisers are also planning to present fair play flags to the well-behaved teams.

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