BAPS Charities organised a national football tournament for children, the Pramukh Cup, on Saturday 14 July 2018 at Powerleague, Barnet (for participants from London and the southern regions of the UK).
This year marked the 20th anniversary of the tournament and brought together 240 young players from 39 teams who arrived early in the morning, showing tremendous team spirit and enthusiasm. The World Cup provided added excitement and motivation for the participants.
The day began with a short opening ceremony, where speakers reinforced the messages of working together as a team. The boys were organised into three age groups – 6 to 9 years, 10 to 11 years, and 12 to 14 years. The group matches commenced amid warm summer sunshine, with support of parents and volunteers from the sidelines who were enjoying the high standard of football being played by the youngsters.
The games progressed to the knockout stages which provided plenty of entertainment, including last-minute goals, exceptional strikes, match-winning saves and penalty shootouts. A summary of the results are detailed below:
Age Group |
Winners |
Runners up |
6 to 9 Years (Ghanshyam Cup) |
Sunday School P |
Brent-Harrow C |
10 to 11 Years (Nilkanth Cup) |
Brent-Harrow E |
Sunday School K |
12 to 14 Years (Pramukh Cup) |
Sunday School M |
Sunday School C |
The events were thoroughly enjoyed by both players and spectators, with almost 600 goals scored in total.
The day concluded with a prize-giving ceremony where awards for sportsmanship were especially promoted. It was encouraging to see young children demonstrating teamwork and admiration for fellow players.