The first ever kishore indoor soccer tournament in the Asia Pacific region – Yogi Cup 2013 - took place on Sunday 19 May. About 50 players representing eight different teams took part in the tournament which began with the traditional opening ceremony in the presence of the murti of Thakorji.
The teams, led by eight senior kishore captains, were randomly split up into two pools with each team playing six games during the group stages. Each team progressed through to the knockout stage where the top two teams in each group played the bottom two teams in the other group.
The Red team showed grits and determination in the quarter-final to win 3-2 and came up against the much-fancied Navy Blue side and their speedy players in the semi-final. The game was gridlocked at 0-0 until a last-minute counter-attack led to a Red goal, sealing their finals birth. The Black team, who finished first in their group stage with the highest number of goals and points, charged through to the grand final with a comprehensive 3-1 win in the semi-final against the Greys.
The Reds and Blacks faced off in the grand-final with both teams looking tired in the opening half after playing almost three hours of soccer throughout the day. The Blacks shot off to an early 2-0 lead, as the Reds struggled to get a grip on the game against a Blacks goalkeeper in strong form. Another two goals before half-time, including a screamer from half-way, was enough to seal the inaugural Yogi Cup to the Black team.
The successful tournament concluded with a closing ceremony where the finalists received their medals and winning team celebrated by lifting the Yogi Cup.