19^th October 2014marked a first in ARFAI’s Footy calendar as 10 teams from Rajasthan took the field at Chogan Stadium, Jaipur, to stake a claim for the inaugural ARFAI Rajasthan State Championship crown. The players, all aged between 12-16, put on an impressive show despite the harsh weather and every match was keenly contested.

The semi finals witnessed some exceptional skills from the players. The first semi final was contested between the Cats and the Kangaroos where the Cats won 6-12 and the second semi final saw the Giants playing against the Eagles where the Eagles had a convincing win by 2-17.

The Eagles took home the spoils defeating The Kangaroos in the final with a score of 48-6. All the participating players were trained under the ASOP initiative and the ARFAI and MB officials present were visibly proud of what unfolded before them. The individual awards were bagged by Arun Kumar Roy (Eagles) for the Best Mark, D’Costa (Crows) for the Best Goal and Rohit Singh (Cats) for the Best Player of the Tournament. Speaking of the tournament, ARFAI Game Development Manager and Regional Development Manager, Saurabh Bhandekar said – “The kids are showing a good flair for the sport. a little more training with experienced coaches and the players are sure to come up as formidable in the near future”

The state tournament of Rajasthan accentuates the fact that how footy in the state has been developing in a commendable way. It was a pleasing moment indeed for ARFAI and the Footy journey of India rolls on.