Mangaluru, Apr 19: Sports Festival -2015 – a ten-day festival of various sporting events including floodlight matches, organised by Football Players Association, Mangaluru was kicked off with much enthusiasm at Nehru Maidan Football Ground in the city on Sunday.
On the same occasion, blood donation camp organised in association with Indian Red Cross Society and Unity Health Complex, Mangaluru, was also inaugurated as part of the sports festival.
Speaking after inaugurating the blood donation camp at the Nehru Maidan football pavilion, Mayor of Mangaluru City Corporation Jacintha Vijaya Alfred spoke on the importance of blood donation. It is equally important to spread awareness among the youth in this regard as every drop of blood is precious, she said, encouraging the participating youth to play in the events with a feeling of harmony towards one another.
Speaking on the occasion, Congress leader K S Mohammed Masood lauded the efforts of the district football association and its members for striving to conduct football tournaments despite the lack of a proper football ground and pavilion in the city.
The old building built 24 years ago which houses the football pavilion, is in a dilapidated state and there are no proper facilities for children and youth to practice football in the ground. The city corporation should take due notice of this and see that basic facilities are provided for children at the football ground, he urged.
Health minister U T Khader kicked off the football tournament for the Under-19 category with a kick of the football.
Speaking in the inaugural programme, he said that talented youth should be given encouragement and offered his support to the development of the football ground.
On the occasion, Indian Red Cross Society, Dakshina Kannada district unit chairman Prabhkar Shriyan said that one unit of blood could help save three lives at a time. The general notion that people have about donating blood should be replaced with an eagerness to donate, as it is the highest form of donation, he said, adding that all healthy individuals between the age of 18-60 years could donate blood once in 3-4 months.
Speaking on the occasion, chief organiser of the event D M Aslam pointed out the lack of a proper ground and basic facilities for football players in the district. He said that several youth and sports enthusiasts had joined hands in organising the sports festival despite the lack of a proper ground at Nehru maidan.
He placed a request with Mr Khader, who is also MLA of Mangaluru constituency, to help set up a full-fledged football ground in Ullal, since there was no existing playground in Ullal for several talented football players in the area.
A K Niyaz, Mansoor Ahmed, corporator Abdul Latheef, president of the association Khalid Basha, Umesh Uchil, Hussain Bolar and several others were present during the inaugural session.
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