National Inclusion Cup to begin today

Continuing their commitment of changing lives through football, Slum Soccer is all set to kick-start its 2018 edition of National Inclusion Cup here at Tiger Play in Lokhandwala, Andheri on Tuesday.

A total of 48 teams from various states across India and Nepal will participate in the men's and women's category of the league-cum-knockout format tournament.

The four-day tournament, being held in Mumbai for second consecutive year will commence with teams from Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Assam, Manipur and Nepal.

A total of 480 players will participate in the event across 24 men's and 24 women's team.

"It's one of the most celebrated initiatives of Slum Soccer. This tournament has allowed us to reach out to a larger audience, create awareness about our work and also has created heroes out of people from all walks of life. The event not only is a platform to showcase football skills but also a place where participants can take inspiration from one another and grow with the sport," said Slum Soccer CEO Abhijeet Barse.

"It's such a proud moment for every one of us at Slum Soccer that this event is growing in size and stature with every passing year. Our mission is to spread our wings as much as possible and engage with as many underprivileged youth as possible through the National Inclusion Cup. We thank all our partners in giving wings to our vision and look forward to their continued support," said Vijay Barse, founder, Slum Soccer.

At the conclusion of the tournament, the talent identification team will select 25 probables that will receive intensive training in football and social skills to eventually form men's and women's to represent India at the 16th Homeless World Cup, where over 60 nations meet every year for the World Championship.