MUPC Under-15 India-leg: Chandigarh Football Academy champions!

The Chandigarh Football Academy are the champions of the seventh edition of the Indian-leg of the Manchester United Premier Cup Under-15 tournament. In the final they beat PIFA from Mumbai 2-0 in extra-time through two goals from Samuel Lalmuanpuia at the Sesa Football Academy ground in Sirsaim, Goa.

Chandigarh Football Academy will now go on to represent India in the Southeast Asia qualifiers in Indonesia later this month to face teams from the host nation, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore with the winner of that tournament getting a place at the global finals in Manchester this summer.

This year the Indian-leg of the Manchester United Premier Cup Under-15 tournament was held under a new format. There were state qualifiers and then a North-East-Northeast Zone qualifiers played in Jamshedpur while the South-West teams played their championship in Goa. While Chandigarh Football Academy won the Jamshedpur-leg, it was PIFA who won in Goa.

"Over the years, Nike MUPC is serving as a platform to identify young talent. This is at the core of our brand to promote the sport," Nike marketing director Avinash Pant told the media.

Former India captain Baichung Bhutia, who was present at the finals, said the tournament will continue to be a platform for young footballers to showcase their talent and also for clubs to scout young talent.

MUPC Under-15 Zonal Round kicks-off today

The seventh edition of the Indian-leg of the Manchester United Premier Cup Under-15 tournament of the global youth football tournament has been ongoing with the state qualifiers with the Zonal qualifiers kicking-off in Jamshedpur today. The tournament hosted jointly by the All India Football Federation and Nike India is being held across the country.

The qualifiers for the North, Northeast and East are being held on two grounds within the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur with Tata Steel along with the Jharkhand Football Association organising the tournament.

Under-15 teams from Assam, Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Orissa, Punjab, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal will face each other in group and knockout matches until May 5 with the best teams making it to the national finals in Goa.

The qualifiers for the South and West Zone will be played from May 7 at the Sesa Football Academy grounds in Goa.

This season there has been some controversy around the format of the Indian-leg of the Manchester United Premier Cup Under-15 tournament with the AIFF allowing only one entry per state and then in Maharashtra a draw of lots was carried out to decide the participant in the zonal finals, while in other states a tournament was played to decide who would represent that specific state.

Now the tournament is on its way with the Zonal phase with the best under-15 teams set to face each other in Goa from May 10 for a place in the Southeast Asia finals to be played in Indonesia in late-May 2012.

Salgaocar are U-15 MUPC India champions!

The under-15 boys team of Salgaocar SC are the champions of the Indian leg of the Manchester United Premier Cup for youth teams. The Goans beat Mumbai FC 5-4 on penalties after the match had ended in a one-all draw yesterday in Pune.

Mumbai FC took a 17th minute lead through a N. Roger goal and Salgaocar were only able to equalise in the last minute of the match through Myron Borges. In the penalty shootout their players scored of all their shoots, while Salgaocar's keeper blocked one of the MFC shoots.

Present at the final where India striker Sunil Chhetri, AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das, WIFA CEO Henry Menezes, Vishwajeet Kadam from the Bharati Vidyapeeth University and Nike India MD Sanjay Gangopadhyay.

This year Under-15 teams/organisations from across India took part with 18 teams making it to the national finals. The finals was held from May 16 until yesterday at the Bharati Vidyapeeth Education Complex, Satara Road in Dhankawadi, Pune.

Salgaocar as the winners of the MUPC India leg have earned a spot in the regional Southeast Asia Finals to be held in Si Racha, Thailand from June 7 to 9 where the Indian champions would face their counterparts from Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Unlike in previous years the Indian champions are not getting an automatic place in the world finals as they have been clubbed with Southeast Asian rivals.

National U-15 MUPC Finals in Pune

The national finals of the Under-15 Manchester United Premier Cup, an initiative from Nike and the AIFF, is set to kick-off today in Pune. The MUPC is an initiative to unearth football talent at the grass root level. In its sixth edition in India last years MUPC global saw over 9000 teams from all over the world taking part from 43 countries.

This year Under-15 teams from across India are taking part with 18 teams making it to the finals. The tournament has seen a distinct evolution in competition since last year. The finals will be held from today until May 24 at the Bharati Vidyapeeth Education Complex, Satara Road, Dhankawadi in Pune and the winner of the MUPC India leg will earn a spot in the regional Southeast Asia Finals to be held in Si Racha, Thailand from June 7 to 9 where the Indian champions would face their counterparts from Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Unlike in previous years the Indian champions are not getting an automatic place in the world finals.

Being held at an Under-15 level, the tournament enables youngsters to consider football as an option. The popularity of the sport on the world stage was never in question but the tournament provides an opportunity for football to grow out of its nascent stage in countries like India. The tournament has provided football obsessed teens in India an opportunity to compete on an international stage, bridging language and cultural barriers through sport.

"Nike- MUPC is an effort to provide young footballers an opportunity to compete and show case their talent. Considering the success of the Nike-MUPC over the years, we look to building on the strengths of this tournament each year in order to amplify India's budding football talent. The AIFF has been one of our greatest supporters and we continue to foster this relationship and grow from strength to strength," says Sanjay Gangopadhyay, Marketing Director of Nike India.

AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das said, "Football in India is gaining huge popularity amongst the youngsters today. It is the tournaments like this that pave the way for the sport creating a fan base. This annual event is also an excellent opportunity for India to prove itself as a pool of talent for football."

At the launch India captain Baichung Bhutia shared his experience with the teams and said, "Nike- MUPC tournament is going to be a competitive one and where the youngsters can learn a lot. I hope this continues and that footballers in India keep getting opportunities to make it big."


History of MUPC

The Manchester United Premier Cup (MUPC) is jointly sponsored by Nike and Manchester United as part of their commitment to grassroots development. This European regional tournament originally involving 624 clubs, has gathered global momentum over the past few years having attracted a cumulative participation of over one million players with over 9,000 teams from more than 43 countries such as England, France, Brazil, Germany and many more. In 2003, NIKE joined forces with Manchester United to further expand horizons and underline their commitment to the biggest and best under-15 football tournament in the world.

MUPC graduates currently playing at the highest level for club and country include: Robinho (AC Milan); Francesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Andres Iniesta (FC Barcelona); Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona); Xavi (FC Barcelona); Carlos Tevez (Manchester City FC); Iker Casillas (Real Madrid) and Fernando Torres (Chelsea FC).

Each year increasing number of young players across the globe share their hopes and their dreams as they are mobilized and inspired to play at the highest level, testing their skills against the very best of their peers. Together they reach for the stars as they strive to become the Manchester United Premier Cup world Champions. The future of football is in their hands.