On Saturday 26 July 2008, the UK Bal Mandal held its 12th National 5-a-side Football Tournament at Alperton Goals, London.
36 teams and over 255 players along with 50 karyakars and around 100 parents from all over the UK had gathered for the tournament. Everyone was eager not only to lift the Pramukh Cup, but to also gain the blessings of Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
At 9:30am, the balaks had all arrived and were seated for the opening ceremony. The expressions of joy on everyone's faces told the story. All the balaks were dressed in specially designed t-shirts. Anandpriya Swami performed the deep pragatya in the presence of Shri Harikrishna Maharaj after which coordinators spoke about how the game should be played with the right team spirit.
The tournament begun with great enthusiasm and pomp. With 107 matches being played, the ground was full of fun, laughter and delight. Apart from the continuous enjoyment of football, there were refreshments served throughout the day to all parents and children.
The tournament was divided into 6 age groups with the winners of each age group cup progressing through to the Pramukh Cup (Cup Winners Cup). The winners of each age group cup are shown below.
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Cup
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Winners
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Harikrishna Cup
(6 to 8 years)
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Loughborough A
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Nillkanth Cup
(9 to 10 years)
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Brent A
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Sarjudas Cup
(11 to 12 years)
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Brent D
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Narayanmuni Cup
(13 to 14 years)
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Brent-Harrow F
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Ghanshyam Cup
(6 to 9 years mixed)
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South A
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Sahajanand Cup
(10 to 14 years mixed)
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East A
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Unlike recent years, this Pramukh Cup was blessed with glorious sunshine. However, despite the scorching heat, the quality of football was not compromised. The Pramukh Cup final was played between Brent-Harrow F (winners of the Narayanmuni Cup) and East A (winners of the Sahajanand Cup). The atmosphere was truly spectacular. At the beginning of the game, the two sides were evenly balanced at a score of 0-0. However, after vital advice from their manager Mohanbhai Patel, Brent-Harrow F went on to win 2-0.
Over 300 goals were scored in the whole tournament thrilling the many spectators that had gathered for this event. In the concluding ceremony, trophies were presented to the winning teams. Another successful Pramukh Cup surely engraved its wonderful memories in the hearts and minds of all balaks, parents and managers.