Three Punjabi Teams in the Kelab Aman Junior Invitational Football Tournament 2015

| Jagdesh Singh | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 29 Nov 2015 | Asia Samachar |

The clouds resembled puffy cottons but they still couldn’t conceal the beautiful blue sky.
It was perfect for a day of football and about 27 teams of young boys and girls converged at the Kelab Aman for the Junior Football Invitational Tournament 2015.

Organizer Davinder Singh Randhawa tells us this had originally been in a league format that lasted for months in the past. “This time we’re doing it for kids to enjoy during school holidays. All participants will be receiving a certificate and medal,” he tells Asia Samachar.

In total, there were 6 teams in the Under 8 category, 5 teams in the U-10, 8 in the U-12 and another 8 teams in U-14. It was very well organised, considering the number of teams and children all in one venue in one day.

Equally heartening was to also witness three teams fully comprising of Punjabis competing in this tournament. While there were individual Punjabis playing in most of the teams, these three teams stood out proudly, their boys with their patkas and the khanda emblazoned on their jerseys. Their names were also outstanding, Khalstar Football Club, the Klang Sikhs and Negeri Sembilan Sikh Union (NSSU).

Khalstar FC manager Kashminder Singh and assistant manager Avtar Singh Terry assembled their team mainly to compete in Sikh tournaments like the Holla Mohala. This was their first outing in the national arena and it was in the under 14 category.

The Klang Sikhs, under the management of Jasvinder Singh, had 9 players below the age of 12 years old but competed in the U-14 category. They looked inexperienced but were eager to improve even with the younger age average.

It was interesting to see both the Klang Sikhs and Khalstar FC battle it out in the U-14 Category.

The youngest team amongst the 3 was the NSSU with Ranjit Singh at the helm. This was their first tournament outside of Negeri Sembilan. Both him and his assistant manager, Baldev Singh, brought the team here for the exposure. “We came here to enjoy and get exposure,” they said Ranjit.

Notable amongst all the Punjabi teams, Kelab Aman Juniors fielded a team in the U-14 category, with a mixture of Punjabi players and others. Also two sisters, Asheesh Kaur and Kanchen Kaur, were part of the Subang Jaya Sports Community Club (SJSCS) SuperGirls team.

All in all, great participation from the 3 teams with many lessons to take home for more tournaments in the future.

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