Gothia Cup, a global youth football tournament, is to see the participation of 17 boys and 16 girls from the SKF Sports Academy in India battling it out for top honours. The SKF Sports Education Programme girls’ football team is also set to make its debut in the Gothia Cup in Sweden.

SKF India Sports Education Program, formerly known as Sports Academy, was established in July 2005, in Pune, with the objective of providing unprivileged children from adjoining areas, the opportunity for holistic growth through sports activities. In 2013, the academy was extended to SKF Ahmedabad.

SKF Sports Academy is supported by the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) in Pune, and the Kahaani Sports Academy in Ahmedabad. The academy is committed to nurturing sporting talent by providing professional coaching and grooming guidance to underprivileged children from adjoining communities.

Great expectations

The world’s largest youth football tournament, Gothia Cup 2015, is scheduled to be played in Gothenburg, Sweden from July 12-18. The team was selected from a pool of players in the age group of 11 to 14 from the SKF Sports Academy in Pune and Ahmedabad.

The selection was a part of the ‘Meet the World’ tournament, a pre event qualifying football tournament held in Pune.

For the first time since the SKF Sports Academy was launched, a girls’ football team is to play at the Gothia Cup 2015. In order to improve competitiveness and infuse higher level of professional playing, SKF India has tied up with the Pune Football Club for training and development.

Going forward

Shishir Joshipura, Managing Director and Country Head, SKF India noted in a statement that the firm had seen the programme create a positive impact among the children.

“We are now taking it to the next level with our tie up with a professional football club. Training and coaching under the Pune Football Club has helped to overhaul the teams’ skill and development process,” he said.

SKF is a global supplier of bearings, seals, mechatronics, lubrication systems, and services. Represented in more than 130 countries, annual sales in 2014 were SEK (Swedish Krona) 70,975 million.

SKF Group started trading operations in India in Kolkata in 1923, and since then the Group’s operations have been consolidated into SKF India Limited. The company has manufacturing plants in Pune, Bangalore, and Haridwar.

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