Punjab Village Sports Festival set to draw 25,000 young players : Anupam Dasgupta

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Third edition begins September 19, with football and volleyball competitions across 70 venues

Chandigarh, September 17

More than 25,000 young players from across rural Punjab will take part in the third edition of the Punjab Village Sports Festival, beginning September 19 and continuing till November, with competitions scheduled at 70-plus venues across the state.

Organised by the Roundglass Foundation, the festival will feature football and volleyball competitions in U-14, U-17 and U-21 categories for boys and girls. More than 4,000 girls are expected to participate.

The final of the festival will be held in Mohali.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Roundglass Foundation senior member Abhay Sharma said the festival was aimed at expanding access to quality sporting opportunities for children in rural Punjab.

The first edition was held in 2024, while the scale of the festival has grown with each edition. The Foundation said the 2025 edition brought together more than 7,500 children. Its 2026 campaign is now expected to bring together more than 25,000 players.

A talent-scouting team will also be introduced this year to identify promising performers during the tournament. Selected players will be offered a pathway to the Roundglass Foundation’s elite sports programme, with the Foundation supporting their further development.

Akash Sharma, head of the Roundglass Foundation-led sports centres, said each edition had expanded in scale. He said the festival began with football in its first edition, while volleyball was introduced subsequently, with both disciplines now being taken to a larger number of villages.

The tournament will bring together village teams from across Punjab before culminating in the final in Mohali in November.