Organized by Coca-Cola, All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) and the Ministry of Youth & Sports, the Coca-Cola Cup 2074 edition is back. The largest grassroots level school tournament in the country has been announced. The tournament is going to beorganized in more than 43 districts affiliated to ANFA, featuring more than 35 schools from each district.

 The Coca-Cola Cup is structured to help provide Nepal’s youngsters an opportunity to nurture their talent in football and develop their skill. The tournament has been divided into three stages; District Level, Regional Level and Central Level. District Level tournament will be held simultaneously in 43 districts starting from 7th July to 28th July, 2017 (23rdAshad to 13thShrawan, 2074), Regional Level tournament will be held simultaneously in 5 regions at 6 venues starting from 13th August to 25th August, 2017 (29thShrawan to 9thBhadra, 2074) and Central Level tournament will be held in Kathmandu starting from 8th September to 17th September, 2017 (23rdBhadra to 1st Ashwin, 2074).

The tournament, which started in 2063, also offers an opportunity to be scouted for a special training program run by ANFA. As a part of the program, ANFA scouts watch each match and choose the best players to train in the ANFA Football Academy, where selected players will train with some of the best football coaches in Nepal. These players will also be trained on nutrition and fitness by functional experts invited by ANFA.

The Coca-Cola Cup, in the past, has revealed talent that has helped Nepal build a strong national team. Players like Bishal Rai, BikeshKuthu, Rabin Shrestha, Heman Gurung, BimalGharti Magar, Aditya Chuadhary, Ananta Tamang and AnjanBista have all played at The Coca-Cola Cup in the past.

Apart from getting an opportunity to be scouted by ANFA, cash prizes have also been announced for teams and best individual performers. The winners for both the boys’ & girls’ category will receive Rs 300,000while the first and second and runner-ups will be awarded withRs1,00,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively. Coca-Cola has instituted special awards for players and teams who display exemplary sportsmanship throughout the tournament including individual awards for the Best Goalkeeper, Best Defender, Best Midfielder and Best Forward.

 “The Coca-Cola Cup is aimed at providing young Nepali football enthusiasts with an opportunity to nurture their talent and cultivate their football skills. Coca-Cola has globally supported football and inspired the younger generation to watch and play the game they love. Our partnership with ANFA provides a platform for youth athletes, to produce accomplished players that can eventually play for the national team. Through the Coca-Cola Cup, we hope to continually inspire and recruit the next generation of Nepali footballers,” said Puneet Varshney, Managing Director of Bottler’s Nepal Limited

“We are happy to sponsor the Coca Cola Cup and contribute to the largest level of grassroots football tournament in Nepal. We have been supporting these games since 2063 and it is a great way to scout young talent for Nepal. I would like to congratulate the organizers on reaching over half the country to generate participation for these games and spread the love for football across the nation. Furthermore, I am convinced that the tournament will help dedicated football lovers to accomplish their dreams to participate and give their best performances for the benefit of national football team,” said Ambuj Singh, Country Director of The Coca-Cola Company in Nepal.