Sonalika-Sudeva-UN Girls Football Trophy Powered byAngelique Foundation To Promote Peace and Development through Sports

Chandigarh, October 7, 2016: In its endeavor to empower women and to promote football at the grassroot level, UNInformation Centre for India and Bhutan (UNIC), in collaboration with Sudeva, is organising India’s first-ever Inter-School Girls Football League, the Sonalika-Sudeva-UN Girls Football Trophy powered byAngelique Foundation.

The opening season of the Leaguewill be played over three months (October-December 2016). Around 20 school teams will be participating in a league format followed by the semi-finals and finals. All the matches will be played over the weekends at 19, Raj Niwas, Civil Lines Ground. The League is expected to have over 300 plus players participating, and is a novel initiative taken up by Sudeva and the UNInformation Centre.

With the rapidly growing popularity of football in India and its women’s national team being ranked 57 in the world, such a league will be instrumental in promoting girls talent in football right from the elementary school level.

In the very first season of this Trophy, schools from diverse backgrounds- government schools, NGO-run schools, as well as private schools, will be competing for the UN Trophy. Such an unprecedented blend of social backgrounds is an effort to promote completeinclusion and will be an important step towards reducing social disparities.

The UN believes that sport often provides safe environments at the grassroots and community levels, at which participants are brought together in the pursuit of common goals and interests; learn values of respect, tolerance and fair play; and develop social competencies. As a common denominator and shared passion, sport can build bridges between communities regardless of their cultural differences or political divisions. In times of conflict or instability, sporting activities can provide participants with a sense of normalcy.

Apart from being the first of its kind League, the event will also promote the Sustainable Development Goals Agenda promoted by the UN. SDG 5 specifically encourages gender equality and empowerment of women and girls.