The 74th B N Mullick Memorial All India Police Football Championship will be held in Hyderabad at the Gachibowli Stadium and the Telangana Police Academy grounds from March 23 to April 5.
On Thursday, Telangana DGP B Shivadhar Reddy reviewed the arrangements for the tournament, which will be hosted by the Telangana Police Department, at a meeting with senior police officers at his office.
The DGP said 53 teams from various states and Central Armed Police Forces will be participating in the tournament. He also said that around 2,100 players and officers are expected to be part of the championship.
Reddy said the teams will arrive in the city on March 23 and the opening ceremony will be held at the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Gachibowli at 3 pm on March 25. He said the matches will be held at the Gachibowli Stadium and the grounds at the Telangana Police Academy, while other grounds in and around the city have been earmarked for practice sessions.
Reddy said various committees have been constituted to ensure the smooth conduct of the tournament and that accommodation and transportation arrangements have been made to ensure that players coming from various parts of the country do not face any inconvenience.
The DGP also said the closing ceremony will be held after the final match on April 5. He also added that the department was exploring the possibility of organizing an exhibition football match as part of the event.
He also reviewed the inputs given by officers, who had visited Tripura which had hosted the 73rd edition of championship last year. He clarified that teams could apply online through the All India Police Sprots Control Board portal between February 10 and March 10.
Reddy also emphasized that the spirit of sportsmanship should foster unity and camaraderie among the police forces across the country.
RBVRR Telangana Police Academy director Abhilasha Bisht, Cyberabad commissioner of police M Ramesh, Hyderabad additional commissioner of police Tafseer Iqbal, IGP sports Gajrao Bhupal and other senior officers had attended the meeting.
Reddy, had at an earlier review meeting, noted that five players from the state were part of India’s 1956 Melbourne Olympics team, most of them serving in the police force. “Hosting this championship is an opportunity to revive football interest among police personnel,” he had said.
