GNA University organized Association of Indian Universities (AIU’s) North Zone Inter University Football Tournament (Men) in its campus. . This competition served as a platform to seize the esteemed opportunity to be one of the top four North Zone teams and advance to theNationalLevel.
Over 30 universities and institutions in the North, including Chandigarh University, Punjabi University, University of Jammu, Guru Nanak Dev University, Punjab University, Himachal Pradesh University, Sports University, Kumaun University, and many more, sent 30 teams with approximately 700 football players and their coaches to demonstrate their skill and sportsmanship at this massive event.
This tournament began on 14 December 2024, with a fervor of “football fury.” On the first day of the event, over 16 teams faced off against one another in the elimination stages. The tournament’s second day included knockout matches between the competing teams once more. For this competition to go smoothly, Dr.Parampreet, Head of the School of Physical Education and Sports, and his team, which included Dr. Suresh, Ms. Navdeep, Mr. Vvijay, and Ms. Manpreet, worked tirelessly.
The closing ceremony of this tournament was graced by Mr. Ranjit Bajaj, Minerva Academy, owner Delhi Football Club, Dr. Jaspal Singh, Principal, Layallpur Khalsa College Jalandhar, and Harmanjot Singh Khabra, International Footballer. They witnessed two league matches and motivated all the players and asked winning teams to gear up for the upcoming challenges, as at National Level competition will be more difficult. They also complemented GNA University hosting this tournament and for providing magnificent facilities to players. To witness the culmination ceremony Mr. Kunal Bains, Deputy Registrar, Dr. Vikrant Sharma, Dr. Sameer Varma, Dr. CR Tripathy, Dr. Deepak Tilgoriya, various Sport Coordinators and other dignitaries were there
Every player’s passion and intensity were contagious throughout the contest. Many young players were inspired to demonstrate their abilities at this unique event, which would help the game in our nation. After fierce fighting in the quarterfinals, four teams advanced to the semi-finals. Among these, the Punjab University, Chandigarh team won the Winning Trophy by taking first place and receiving a gold medal; the Punjabi University, Patiala team took second place and received a silver medal; the GNA University team took third place and received a bronze medal; and the Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar team took fourth place.
GNA University’s Chancellor, S. Gurdeep Singh Sihra, praised the AIU North Zone Inter University Football Tournament winners, players, and organizing team. He gave the players a briefing about the tournament and urged them to aim high and keep going till they achieved their objectives. He wished each and every player a great success and told them to be proud to be a part of this important event.
The vice-chancellor of GNA University, Dr. Hemant Sharma, commended each player for giving it their all during the competition and advised them to keep their physical and mental equilibrium in order to perform well. He conveyed his delight at the eager involvement of teams from throughout the Northern area.
Sports are an essential component of academics, according to Dr. Monika Hanspal, dean of academics at GNA University. She expressed gratitude to each athlete for retaining their coordination and agility during the games.
