Premier Futsal League (PFL) held the New Delhi edition of its talent hunt Launchpad at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium in the national capital and it was received with great fervour. The talent hunt, which was conducted on 9-10 June, was looking for futsal players who will play alongside international stars in the tournament, which will be held in July. PFL Launchpad, already conducted in Goa, Mumbai, and Bangalore, has caught the attention of youngsters throughout the country.
There is a strong futsal culture in New Delhi and the organisers were looking to tap the best young talent (aged 18-24) for the tournament, which will see participation from international players and former football legends as well. Young players flocked to the indoor stadium to have a crack at grabbing a place in the final lot, battling temperatures in excess of 40 degrees.
One of the organisers, speaking to Sportskeeda about the event, said, “We are pleased with the response we have got throughout the country. After energy sapping editions in Mumbai and Bangalore, we expected really good numbers from the national capital and things have gone smoothly. Around 200 kids from the NCR region came for the trials and the quality on display has been good.”
The Launchpad talent hunt comprises a step-by-step process that will culminate in a boot camp, likely to take place in Chennai, where five players from each of the eight regions will be chosen to play in the league. Elaborating further on the selection process, the official said, “We are looking at complete packages or players who have the potential to become the same. Not only do they have to be good at futsal, they need to be fit as well.”
Wearing shirts of their favourite footballers, participants were up to it during the Launchpad competition, trying their best to impress judges. There were plenty of skills on display, right from the Cristiano Ronaldo-esque stepover to a Ronaldinho-like elastico, making for some impressive futsal. One of the youngsters, who had come for the trial, said, “I am really excited for this and hope to make it to the finals. Playing in a tournament that will be broadcasted live on television sounds really thrilling.”
Premier Futsal, slowly but surely, is gathering momentum and has got good response throughout the country. The league is bringing in some big names to participate in the tournament and they have already signed up Futsal legend Falcao and former Barcelona star Deco. India, at present, does not have a huge futsal culture and tournament organisers hope to change that with this initiative.
Here is a glimpse of the skills seen at the event:
Some of the best snaps from the event:
