Final Round of 70th Bharat Ratna Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Trophy to begin today

The final round of the 70th Bharat Ratna Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Trophy will commence on March 2, 2025 at 3:30 PM at the historic Judges’ Field in Guwahati. Organised by the Guwahati Sports Association with support from the Department of Sports and Youth Welfare, Assam, and various District Sports Associations, the prestigious tournament will feature 17 teams.

Indian Super League side NorthEast United FC, I-League outfit Shillong Lajong FC, and one of Assam’s most popular teams, Oil India Limited FC, will participate as invitee teams. Alongside them, the 12 teams that emerged as winners and runners-up from six cluster rounds, as well as Guwahati Premier Football League 2024 champions Northeast Frontier Railway Sports Association and runners-up Pride East Mavericks, will compete for the coveted title.

Other teams are of the final round: Barekuri FC (Cluster 1 Winner), 19th APBn (Cluster 1 Runners-up), Dubi Sports Association (Cluster 2 Winner), Dhekiajuli Town Club (Cluster 2 Runners-up), Navajyoti Club (Cluster 3 Winner), Trinayan Goshti (Cluster 3 Runners-up), Baradi FC (Cluster 4 Winner), Global FC (Cluster 4 Runners-up), Dima United FC (Cluster 5 Winner), Lenroul FC (Cluster 5 Runners-up), ASEB Sports Club (Cluster 6 Winner) and Rani Coaching Centre (Cluster 6 Runners-up).

The total prize money for the tournament stands at Rs 80 lakh, with the champions set to receive Rs 10 lakh, the runners-up Rs 5 lakh, and each semifinalist Rs 2.5 lakh.

The first match will be played between NFRSA and Barekuri FC at 4:30 PM. The final will be played on March 13, 2025.

A key highlight of this edition is a special initiative under which 17 of the best Under-19 players from the tournament will be selected for a training programme in Spain. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed with ‘Best of You’ for this initiative, which will also provide opportunities for these players to engage with top ISL and I-League teams in India.

The opening ceremony on March 2 will be graced by Shri Jayanta Mallabarua, Honourable Minister for PHE & Department of Housing & Urban Affairs, as the Chief Guest. Dr Partha Sarathi Mahanta, Commissioner of Police, Guwahati, will be present as the Special Guest, while Shri Sujit Dey, Assistant General Manager, Marketing & Communications, State Bank of India, Local Head Office, Guwahati, and RJ Mandi will attend as Guests of Honour.

The final round matches will be broadcast live with running commentary on a digital platform to ensure wider viewership. Akashvani will run live radio commentary for the semifinals and final to provide an alternative medium for football enthusiasts. In a special gesture, former players who featured in the Bordoloi Trophy and are now above 60 years of age will be felicitated during the final round.

“This year’s Bordoloi Trophy promises to be one of the most competitive and exciting editions in the tournament’s history. With a strong line-up of teams and the added incentive of international training for young talents, we aim to take the competition to new heights,” said Devajit Saikia, the chairman of the organising committee, in a press statement.

Saikia also thanked Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma for his unwavering support and guidance in conducting the tournament.

In this three-format tournament, more than 600 matches are being played involving more than 8400 players.