Bengal’s underprivileged girls showcase their football skills in Kolkata-Naples Friendship Cup 

A three-day football tournament called 'Forza Azzurre: Kolkata-Naples Friendship Cup’ was recently held in Kolkata with a view to empowering underprivileged girls and helping them boost their self-esteem. It witnessed participation by many girls from tribal and minority communities, as well as daughters of sex workers.

The event was organized by the West Bengal-based NGO FREED with active cooperation from KMC ward no. 94 councilor Sandip Nandi Majumdar and in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in Kolkata. As many as eight teams from West Bengal, namely Roshni Youth Club, Durbar, Police Athletic Women, Shanti Mullick Academy, Slums Football Foundation, Shreeja India, Sonarpur Reliable Sporting Academy and Aruar Udayachal Club, vied for the trophy and the medals.

The final was held at Kolkata’s Tollygunge Police Quarter Ground on Sunday (May 15) in the presence of the Consul General of Italy Gianluca Rubagotti and West Bengal’s Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Aroop Biswas. Naples Municipality and AMA Sempre from Naples also joined the initiative.

Shreeja India emerged winners in the summit clash, while Police Athletic Women finished runners up. Sonali Soren, who topped the scoring charts, was adjudged the Player of the Tournament.

FREED are now planning to select top performers from the event and provide them with an opportunity to train in Naples in the coming months. According to the organizers, the primary focus of the tournament was to strengthen the ties between Kolkata and Italy through their common love for the beautiful game.

Addressing the media on the sidelines of the event, the Consul General of Italy said:

"I am very happy to support this initiative, which brings Italy and West Bengal closer together. Since both our countries share a passion for football and have some unique traditional forms of art, the event tries to combine all these aspects. I am sure a lot of people will take part and enjoy the different programs."

FREED secretary Somnath Pyne stated:

“This is an attempt to create a bond between the twin cities of Naples and Kolkata with a common passion for football. We've tried to unite and empower disadvantaged girls by encouraging them to play football. Discussions with authorities in Naples are going on to sponsor some of these girls to be trained there.”