29/09/2012
SBT GV Raja Football Tournament 2012
SBT GV Raja Football Tournament 2012 from Wednesday
September 18th, 2012 Section: GV Raja, Josco FC, KSEB, State Bank of Travancore, Travancore Titanium
The second edition of the rejuvenated GV Raja all-India football tournament will kick off at the University Stadium, Trivandrum on Wednesday – the 19th September 2012. 16 teams have confirmed participation in the tournament including local favorites Josco FC, SBT, Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and Kerala Police.
The tournament this season is sponsored by the State Bank of Travancore (SBT) and will be a three week long event with a budget of 35 lakhs INR. Apart from SBT, the Kerala State Sports Council, the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and ITC have all agreed to support the tournament. The winner of the tournament will fetch a cash price of Rs. 1 lakhs with the runner up taking away Rs. 50,000.
Two matches will be played in the league phases of the tournament with one match played under daylight while the late kick off to happen under the floodlight. The season ticket will cost around Rs. 500 while chair and gallery tickets have been priced at Rs. 50 and 25 respectively.
The 2012 edition of the GV Raja Football Tournament will be the ninth coming of the event which began in 1973. But the event was discontinued in 1984 after a tragic collapse of a temporary stand at the Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium. The tournament resumed in 2010 after a 26 year gap and Jammu & Kashmir Bank lifted the trophy beating SBT in penalties.
Seven Kerala teams – State Bank of Travancore, Kerala Police, Titanium, Kerala State Electricity Board, Josco Football Club, Port Trust (Kochi) and TDFA XI – will feature in the tournament. More colour will be added with the participation of teams like SESA Goa and the Mohun Bagan Academy.
The inaugural match kicks off at 05:30 PM on Wednesday.
CONFIRMED TEAMS:
Sesa (Goa), Punjab Police, CRPF (Jalandhar), ICF (Chennai), South Eastern Railway, Indian Navy, Army Green (Bangalore), Mohun Bagan Academy (Kolkata), Southern Railway, State Bank of Travancore, Kerala Police, Titanium, Kerala State Electricity Board, Josco Football Club, Port Trust (Kochi) and TDFA XI.