Invincible,Gladiator set to clash in soccer T20,big sponsors line up

Kushal Tikle and Shakti Raj Jadeja,co-owners of “Belt It”,a design and communication company,put their heads together to organise Futsal,which begins from September 25. With 64 teams participating in it,the idea seems to have been a hit.

Tikle,who has played at the school level,and Jadeja,who has played in the Ahmedabad district football team,still retain their enthusiasm for the game years after they walked out of the field. “The idea is to create an interest in soccer among the youth in Gujarat. The small version may go a long way in doing so,” said Jadeja.

“Our dream is to to set up an academy in a few years to be called the ‘Academy of Super Powers’ in which we plan to train,educate and encourage budding footballers,” said Jadeja. Coca-Cola,Havmor,Cravings are some of the sponsors of the tournament,added Jadeja.

The duo plans to organise more such tournaments,not only in Ahmedabad but also in Pune,Mumbai and Banglore in the future.

Futsal will be played on a 42m X 25m ground,about one-third of the normal size of a football field. The rules are also modified to suit the mini version of the game.

The tournament is to be held between September 25 and October 3 in Anand Niketan school in the Satellite area of Ahmedabad.

“I love football. Though I have never played such a short game,I think it will be exciting,” said Naishal Shah of Udgam School for children. He has named his team as “Invincible”.

Yagnum M Dhruv,of the team “Gladiator”,said,“It will be different. It will be fast and above all,it will be fun”.