Raighar May 30: A 22-member Nabarangpur district girls’ football team has been announced for the zonal-level football tournament to be held at Berhampur under the auspices of the Odisha Football Association.
The selected players are: Manijula Gand, Khushi Poddar, Chandini Gand, Purnima Gand, Pushpa Gand, Anita Gand, Namita Gand, Putana Majhi, Pinki Gand, Parmeshwari Gand, Umeshri Gand, Naika Barsha, Kamini Gand, Tikili Sarkar, Khuleshwari Gand, Rajani Gand, Sarita Majhi, Rashmita Gand, Bharati Gand, and Antilata Khara, among others.
For the team selection process, the District Sports Association entrusted responsibility to former Santosh Trophy player and senior sports personality Prashant Behera along with Durjya Harijan, Firoz Hial, and Lalu Harijan.
It is noteworthy that a district-level Chief Minister’s Cup Football competition had earlier been organized, from which a total of 40 players were initially selected from across the district. These players were divided into four teams, and the final squad was chosen after conducting matches among them.
Sports personalities Sapan Bairagi and Shashank Sekhar Behera extended support in organizing the selection programme.
District Sports Association Secretary Prahallad Tripathy, Vice-President M. Balakrishna Rao, Manoj Kumar Pattnaik, Sports Secretary Jitendra Choudhury, Indoor Secretary Krishna Pattnaik, Hockey Secretary Durga Mallik, Women’s Secretary Chandana Mallik, Cricket Secretary Ashok Nayak, along with other members of the sports association, congratulated the team and wished them success in the tournament.