Delhi Soccer Association announce annual league

Durand Cup, the now discontinued DCM trophy and Subroto Cup; these are just some of the prominent tournaments that Delhi’s Ambedkar Stadium has played host to. Today though, the aforementioned and other venues alike hardly see any football played on their turf. Looking back with lament, these tourneys have definitely been the city’s most potent gift to football. Their magic did not just lie in the demeanour of the players or the teams for that matter. It lies in the manner in which the massed took the game and received it with gusto, for it certainly seemed, rather like the rise of cricket, to make sport seem a mass euphoria.

So today, some 9 months after the scheduled start of the annual DSA Super League, when the governing body for the game has finally announced the advent of the same from tomorrow, August 1, it came as a massive relief for the now sparse football crazy population in the city. To be played over a round robin format, 14 teams will vie to be crowned the champions of Delhi-NCR over next 7 weeks or so.

Talking exclusively to Sportskeeda on the eve of the tourney, DSA chairman NK Bhatia said, “Due to crisis of funds, we had to delay the league this year. It’s difficult to organize a full fledged league now.

We however have assimilated enough resources to have a curtailed series and are hoping people from Delhi will respond to it with much vigour and throng in to the stadiums again.”

Announcing lucrative prize money and scholarships worth 3 lakhs, Bhatia added, “We wanted to do it properly, there is no point in conducting a league without incentivizing it for the players and teams.”

More than half of that chunk shall be handed out to the winners of the joust which starts tomorrow with Hindustan FC taking on the newly promoted Indian Air Force team. In the 2nd match of the day, I League B Divison regulars- Simla Youngs will fight it out with Delhi FC at 4:45 pm.

In a move to ease off the pressure on players in Delhi’s sweltering heat, the duration of all preliminary round matches will be of 40 minute each half i.e. 80 minute total duration with an interval of 10 minute.

In order to give more chances to the locals, only three foreign players (a reduced number) can be registered by a club and can field them in a match. There will be no relegation this year from senior division to lower division, however, participation in the league is mandatory and non participating team(s) or team (s) withdrawing in the middle of the competition will be relegated.

Additionally, COSCO India were unveiled as official partners for their event and they will be providing all kits for players and officials alike throughout.

Groupings for the Super Divison:

Group A: Indian National FC, Hindustan FC, Delhi FC, Goodwill FC, Youngmen SC, Shimla Youngs, Indian Air Force ( Palam)

Group B: Garhwal Heroes FC, Tarun Sangha FC , National United, Delhi United FC, City FC, Ahbab FC, Moonlight SC

Detailed Fixtures:

M.No

Date & Day

Time

GRP

Team

V/s

Team

1

2

01/08/2015

SAT

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

A

A

Indian Air Force(Palam)

Simla Youngs FC

v/s

v/s

Hindustan FC

Delhi FC

3

4

02/08/2015

SUN

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

A

B

Youngmen SC

Moonlight FC

v/s

v/s

Goodwill FC

Tarun Sangha FC

5

6

03/08/2015

MON

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

B

B

Ahbab FC

City FC

v/s

v/s

National United SC

Delhi United FC

7

8

04/08/2015

TUE

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

A

A

Indian National FC

Indian Air Force(Palam)

v/s

v/s

Delhi FC

Goodwill FC

9

10

05/08/2015

WED

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

A

B

Simla Youngs FC

Garhwal FC

v/s

v/s

Youngmen SC

National United SC

11

12

06/08/2015

THU

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

B

B

Moonlight FC

Ahbab FC

v/s

v/s

Delhi United FC

City FC

13

14

07/08/2015

FRI

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

A

A

Hindustan FC

Indian National FC

v/s

v/s

Goodwill FC

Youngmen SC

15

16

08/08/2015

SAT

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

A

B

Indian Air Force(Palam)

Tarun Sangha FC

v/s

v/s

Simla Youngs FC

Delhi United FC

17

18

09/08/2015

SUN

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

B

B

Garhwal FC

Moonlight FC

v/s

v/s

City FC

Ahbab FC

19

20

10/08/2015

MON

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

A

A

Delhi FC

Hindustan FC

v/s

v/s

Youngmen SC

Simla Youngs FC

21

22

11/08/2015

TUE

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

B

A

National United SC

Indian National FC

v/s

v/s

City FC

Indian Air Force(Palam)

23

24

12/08/2015

WED

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

B

B

Tarun Sangha FC

Garhwal FC

v/s

v/s

Ahbab FC

Moonlight FC

25

26

13/05/2015

THUR

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

A

A

Goodwill FC

Delhi FC

v/s

v/s

Simla Youngs FC

Indian Air Force (Palam)

14/08/2015 (FRIDAY) NO MATCH

27

28

15/08/2015

SAT

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

B

A

Delhi United FC

Hindustan FC

v/s

v/s

Ahbab FC

Indian National FC

29

30

16/08/2015

SUN

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

B

B

Tarun Sangha FC

National United SC

v/s

v/s

Garhwal FC

Moonlight FC

31

32

17/98/2015

MON

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

A

A

Delhi FC

Youngmen SC

v/s

v/s

Hindustan FC

Indian Air Force(P)

33

34

18/08/2015

TUE

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

B

A

City FC

Goodwill FC

v/s

v/s

MOONLIGHT FC

INDIAN NATIONAL FC

35

36

19/08/2015

WED

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

B

B

Delhi United

National United SC

v/s

v/s

GARHWAL FC

TARUN SANGHA FC

37

38

20/08/2015

THU

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

A

A

Simla Youngs FC

Youngmen SC

v/s

v/s

Indian National FC

Hindustan FC

39

40

21/08/2015

FRI

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

A

B

Goodwill FC

Ahbab FC

v/s

v/s

Delhi FC

Garhwal FC

41

42

22/08/2015

SAT

03.00 PM

04.45 PM

B

B

City FC

Delhi United FC

v/s

v/s

Tarun Sangha FC

National United SC