The final match of Kochi Soccer League, a sevens tournament for 12 teams whose members (from the adolescent age group) were selected from financially and socially backward areas of the city, was held at the Regional Sports Centre (RSC) here on Sunday evening.
Actors Mammootty, Manju Warrier, and the captain of the Kerala team that won the Santosh Trophy, Jijo Joseph, were among the guests. The winning team was River Plate, Mattancherry.
The tournament was organised by Civil Servants of Kerala (CSK), a group comprising of All India Services and Group A Central Civil Service officers, mainly based in Kochi. The CSK was formed to harness their skill and managerial ability during their spare time to benefit members of the society. More such initiatives would follow suit, official sources said.
Coaching members of the 12 teams, which included personality development training, began on May 14 at the RSC. A total of 120 players aged between 13 and 17 were selected for the tournament after screening 500 candidates with the help of child-friendly police stations in Mattancherry, Ernakulam Central, Trikkakara and Ernakulam sub divisions. The officers of the stations were the team managers, while officials from the police, GST and Customs departments were involved in coaching the players. The project aims to impart further training to the selected candidates to play at the club tournaments in the State and national levels.
In the league, there were 11 matches in the knockout format and twenty players were selected for higher training. The aim is not just to find talents in football, but also to present a new vision to the participating children by channelising their energy during adolescence.
