Community Football Tournament, UK

7/23/2018 Event News

BAPS Charities organised a national 5-a-side football tournament for youths, the Yagnapurush Cup, on Saturday 16 June 2018 at Powerleague Barnet, London.

19 teams and more than 100 participants from local communities across the UK joined together with enthusiasm and healthy competitiveness for an event that provided enjoyment and fostered tremendous community spirit throughout.

The tournament began with the group matches which provided plenty of entertainment as well as talent. The top two teams from each group progressed to the quarter-finals of the Yagnapurush Cup, with the third- and fourth-placed teams being entered into the quarter-finals of the Pragji Cup.

The group games provided fabulous entertainment, with many games being played at such a fast pace, and so many goals being scored.

The pick of the Yagnapurush Cup quarter-finals was South London A vs Harrow-Brent A. An extremely competitive match between two of the giants of the Yagnapurush Cup in recent years went all the way to penalties. Ultimately, Harrow-Brent A progressed. North London A and defending champions Leicester, who looked the strongest throughout the group stages, progressed to the semi-finals along with the resurgent Southend. 

In the semi-finals of the Yagnapurush Cup, Harrow A lost out to a scintillating Leicester A team, while North London A beat Southend to bring up a repeat of last year’s final.

The final of the Pragji Cup was between Preston B and BAPS Maintenance, with last year’s runners-up beating Preston B 3-0 in a game they controlled from start to finish. It was a valiant effort from Preston B; however, they just fell short at the final hurdle.

The final of the much-coveted Yagnapurush Cup was contested between North London A and Leicester A, a repeat of last year’s final. It proved to be a rather tense game where free-flowing Leicester of previous rounds were being shackled by North London A. With the game going towards penalties, Leicester were presented with a golden chance to win the game. However, a magnificent save from the keeper kept Leicester at bay when it looked like a certainty they would win it at the death. The resulting penalty shootout was a tense affair with the crowd adding to a boisterous atmosphere. North London A finally prevailed and won the Yagnapurush Cup.

The popular event encouraged exercise for youths leading busy lifestyles and helped to enhance community relations between youths from various towns and cities around the country.

The event concluded with individual and team award presentations as detailed below: