The opening ceremony of the Delhi Youth League, a football tournament for sub-junior children, was held at Delhi Public School, RK Puram, on Thursday. The league has been launched by Paul Schuttenbelt a Dutch expatriate, in co-operation with Kutumb Foundation and the embassy of The Netherlands. “The objective behind setting up the Delhi Youth League is to develop football at the grass root levels. We believe the best teacher is the game itself, and therefore, our aim is to give equal opportunity to children from different economic backgrounds to come and play through a fun and learning based system,” said Schuttenbelt. The DYL comprises of 24 teams in four age groups — Under-8, U-10, U-12 and U-14. Supporting the initiative, ambassador of the Netherlands Alphonsus Stoelinga said, “Sports are an important part of life for many Dutch people and football is the most popular sport. We feel proud to be part of the DYL, and look forward to more competitive matches between the kids, to uplift the sports culture and promote it more in India.”
