The 2nd Nadeem Ahmed Mumtaz Memorial Youth Football Championships came to a close in Chitral, with the final being played on October 10 at the Government Centennial Model High School Football Ground in Chitral Town, District Chitral.
The tournament was held in honor of the late Nadeem Ahmed Mumtaz of Fazal Din and Sons, who contributed heavily to the field of education in Chitral.
The event comprised of tournaments for U14, U12, and U10 players. The 16 team U14 tournament ended with Muglandeh FC beating Al Fajr Jang Bazaar 2-0, while the 6 team U12 tournament concluded with Hasnain Academy Jughoor beating Chewkdo 1-0, and the one-off U10 tournament concluded with Malik Saad Shaheed Memorial Sports Trust defeating Jughoor FA 1-0. The tournament was graced with the presence of DFA Lower Chitral Patron Hussain Ahmed, DFA Lower Chitral President Gul Agha, District Sports Officer Lower Chitral District Amir Zaman, and Team Owner DFA Lower Chitral and Cofounder Ailaaj Bilal Mumtaz.
This event was organized by District Football Association Lower Chitral and sponsored by COPILOT Cares, an initiative by COPILOT Provider. Support Services, a US-based healthcare technology company, conducts multiple CSR activities in Pakistan such as supporting schools, orphanages, and water pumps in remote villages.
Team Owner DFA Chitral Bilal Mumtaz said: “I have been visiting the region over the past 11 years and can safely say that there are more footballers coming through the ranks. With a population now spanning 700,000 over both districts of Upper and Lower Chitral, there has also been an increased demand of more academies and football grounds popping up – from 2 major grounds to around 10+ fields in Lower Chitral alone. The stadium in which the tournament has been held was only established in 2019 and serves as the only modern stadium in both districts of Chitral. It was always my dream to hold a large-scale youth tournament in a region where 80 football clubs exist, and football always remains a means to get the youngsters of Chitral on a good path promoting health and wellness. Through holding multiple youth tournaments over the years, there emerged a solid group of players that managed to comprise around half of the DFA Chitral team that won the Ufone 4G KPK-Balochistan Championships in 2021, contested by 71 districts in total with 8 teams making the final tournament in Peshawar. This was my first Ufone 4G tournament as Team Owner and I’m hoping this success can be replicated in the years to come ”
The District Football Association of Lower Chitral has been organizing and promoting football across youth, senior-level, and veteran levels, with the Veterans team occasionally visiting Lahore annually for a nationwide Veterans Football tournament, being the sole representative for KPK for the past 3 editions.
