The 70th edition of the Bharat Ratna Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Trophy, organized by the Department of Sports and Youth Welfare, Assam,Guwahati Sports Association (GSA) and All the district Associations of Assam is set to commence on January 29.
The tournament will be conducted across 35 revenue districts of Assam.
At a press meet held on Monday at the Gauhati Town Club auditorium, GSA Honorary General Secretary Sri Devajit Saikia, GSA President Sri Paresh Chandra Das, GSA Sports Secretary Football Sri L. Pranab Singh and Saurav Chatterjee, Director of Best of You India, shared details about the tournament.
Saikia called the upcoming tournament “a new beginning” for football in Assam, emphasizing its potential to nurture young talent and provide a platform for players to showcase their skills.
The tournament will follow a three-stage format:
District Round:
Participants: Top 8 club teams from each district, with 280 clubs competing across the state.
Matches: A total of 525 matches will be played in this round.
Format: Teams will compete in a league-cum-knockout format, with the district champions advancing to the Cluster Round.
Prize Money: Rs 75,000 for the district champions.
Cluster Round :
Divided into six clusters representing various regions of Assam: Upper Assam, Northern Assam, Central Assam, Lower Assam, Barak Valley, and the Capital Region.
Prize Money: Rs 1 lakh for cluster champions and Rs 75,000 for runners-up.
Final Round :
Two teams from the Guwahati Premier Football League—NF Railway Sports Association and Pride East Mavericks—will get direct entries. Two additional teams, potentially from the ISL, I-League, or abroad, will also join.
Prize Money: Rs 10 lakh for the champions, Rs 5 lakh for runners-up, and Rs 2.5 lakh for semifinalists.
Additional awards will include Player of the Tournament, Golden Boot, Golden Gloves, and a Fair Play Team award.
Focus on Youth Development:
In a bid to promote grassroots talent, each team is required to include at least five Under-19 players (born on or after January 1, 2006). Two U-19 players must feature in the starting XI, while three must be on the bench. Spotters will identify emerging talents throughout the tournament.
MoU signed with Best of You India:
As part of a new initiative, GSA has signed an MoU with Best of You India. Under this collaboration, 17 young players will be selected for a two-week training programme in Spain. Two players will receive an additional month of training, with one player earning the opportunity to join Marbella FC, a fourth-division club in Spain’s Andalusia region, renowned for its world-class facilities.
The initial shortlist will feature 72 players from the tournament, which will be narrowed to 35 during trials in Guwahati. The final 17 will be selected under the guidance of foreign coaches.
With a total prize pool of Rs 80 lakh and the promise of international exposure for young players, the 70th Bharat Ratna Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Trophy aims to set a new benchmark for football in Assam.
