Babul Hassan Vidyalaya and Pallekanugala MV emerge champions
After both finals ended s c o r e l e s s. Babul Hassan Vidyalaya, Wa r a k ap o l a and Pallekanugala Maha Vidyalaya, Kegalle, went on to bag Boys' and Girls' titles respectively on penalties at the Milo All-Island Under- 12 Football Tournament finale, held at the Jayathilake Stadium in Nawalapitiya last weekend. Babul Hassan Vidyalaya overcame Al- Ameen Vidyalaya, Kinniya 3-2 on penalties to lift the Boys' championship, while Pallekanugala MV easily beat Bandiwewa Maha Vidyalaya, Bolawalana 2- 0 on penalties to emerge Girls champions.
In the Boys segment, Babul
Hassan Vidyalaya beat St. Henry’s College, Jaffna by 3-2 in a close battle while Al- Ameen Vidyalaya edged out St. John’s College, Jaffna 2-1 in the semi-final stage. The four semi- finalists were picked after recording wins against Gateway International, Rajagiriya ( 2- 0), Hameed Al-Husseinie MV, Colombo ( 2 - 1 ) , Wi ckramabahu MV, Kurunegala (4-3) and Goal and Gate International, Beruwala ( 2- 0) respectively in the quarterfinals.
In the Girl s q u a l i f i e r s Pallekanugala MV beat Kadala Wela MV, Polonnaruwa ( 2- 0) and Bandiwewa MV overcame Maliyadeva Girls Sch o o l , Kurunegala (1-0) in the semi-finals. Earlier the four teams respectively b e at Kav i s i gamuwa MV, Kurune g a l a ( 4 - 3 ) , C . W. W. Kannangara MMV, Galle ( 2- 1), Mahajana College, Jaffna (2-0) and St. Mary’s Vidyalaya, Trincomalee (2-1) in the quarterfinals.
The All-Island Under-12 Football Tournament, organised by Milo and the Sri Lanka Schools Football Association in preparation for the Milo Champions Cup, kicked off on March 8 with an objective of identifying and selecting the best talent to form the team that would represent Sri Lanka at the Milo Champions Cup in Barcelona. The tournament was open to boys and girls born in 2008 and 2009 with 265 girls’ teams and 822 boys’ teams taking part, bringing the total number of participants to 13,044 children. Based on the skills and values demonstrated at the provincial matches, the best children were shortlisted to compete in the final tournament.
Over 400 participants from 32 boys schools and 32 girls schools competed in the final tournament, followed by a coaching camp, where an expert panel of coaches will select the eight most deserving players to represent Sri Lanka in the Milo Champions Cup. Although it was initially scheduled to be held in China, the venue has now been shifted to Barcelona.
The selected eight players will represent Sri Lanka in the Milo Champions Cup in Barcelona to compete with countries across the world such as Malay s i a , Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, Pakistan, Colombia, Chille, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago. A playing side in the tournament will comprise of eight players, in a series of 5-a-side matches with a minimum of one female player on each team with each match lasting for two halves of 10 minutes. The football event will go for nine days, which will also include a coaching camp run by FC Barcelona – the FC Barcelona Barca Academy (Soccer School).
Throughout the campaign Milo also put heavy focus on recognising good team values among the young players. To demonstrate the importance of team spirit, Milo together with FC Barcelona carried out this new initiative under the theme #TEAMMAKESME, to encourage kids around the world to work as a team.