Bhaichung Bhutia felicitates winners of Palava's annual futsal challenge

February 18, 2017

18th February 2017, Mumbai: Palava - India's first privately developed greenfield smart city, today announced the winning team of its flagship annual futsal competition - The Palava Corporate Challenge that saw over 50 teams play over 200 matches and battle it out on a FIFA standard AstroTurf at the Palava Football Stadium. The winners Intelenet, who played a spectacular game in the 3-day challenge, were felicitated with a trophy and gift vouchers worth Rs. 30,000 by India's legendary footballer, Padma Shri, Arjuna Award winner Bhaichung Bhutia during a grand finale held at Palava's Football Stadium on February 18, 2017.

In addition to the football challenge winners, Bhaichung also met with the recipients of Palava Football Scholarship awarded to 20 children. The scholarship provides a platform for upcoming talent, to training with the best coaches in India. Palava had organized free football trials for children under-14 years, across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), who aspires to be future football champions. While felicitating the scholarships, Bhaichung spoke to the children about his journey as a striker, who got an opportunity to be eventually the torchbearer of Indian football in the international arena.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Shaishav Dharia, Regional CEO, Palava said, "Since the inception of Palava, we have been striving to redefine lifestyles by providing citizens with the best of infrastructure and opportunities. Our efforts have resulted in building Palava into a well-knit community that enjoys state-of-the art facilities, be it sports, education, culture or more, and training under the guidance of expert professionals. The Palava Corporate Challenge is one of the few platforms introduced to encourage corporates to pursue their passion for recreational football and optimally utilize the best facilities available. In addition to the Palava Corporate Challenge, the city hosts award annual scholarships to encourage children U-14, who don't have the necessary facilities, to avail of professional coaching by experts from Kenkre Football Academy.

Adding to this, Bhaichung Bhutia said, "I am glad to witness the enthusiasm among corporates who played at the Palava Corporate Challenge. At events like these, it is great to see the affinity that is building towards football as this is very valuable to build support for the growth of football in our country. The FIFA standard astro turf at the Palava Football Stadium is among the best sport facilities available across the country and it is commendable to see the city is paying attention to the need for outdoor spaces for recreation."

The Palava Corporate Challenge brings together corporate teams every year to play Rink Football, popularly known as Futsal, on Palava's FIFA standard AstroTurf. This year the event witnessed record-breaking participation of over 50 teams from leading corporate houses such as Godrej, Wipro, J.P. Morgan, Tech Mahindra and many more competing for the title. The finals were played between defending champions Intelenet and WNS. In what could be called as nail-biting finale, team the defending champions went home as champions - Intelenet won the challenge.

About Lodha Group: Established in 1980, privately held Lodha Group is India's leading real estate developer and amongst the world's select multinational real estate developers with presence in India and the United Kingdom. The company is the largest in India by sales for four consecutive years, having clocked over INR 6,400 Cr of net news sales for FY 15-16. The company is currently developing around 4.1 crore sq. ft. of prime residential real estate globally with the largest land reserves in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and has 31 ongoing projects across London, Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Pune and Hyderabad. In FY 2015-16, Lodha Group delivered 6,800 units across projects.

Lodha Group has several landmark developments to its credit including World One, Mumbai, the world's tallest residential tower, and has brought some of the top global names including Armani/Casa, Trump, Philippe Starck, Jade Jagger, Greg Norman and Pei Cobb Freed to India. In 2013, the Group has extended its international footprint with the acquisition of the landmark MacDonald House at 1 Grosvenor Square in Prime Central London from the Canadian Government for a consideration of over GBP 300 million (INR 3,100 Cr). Lodha Developers is one of the largest corporate entities in Mumbai and one of the largest employers in the MMR, with over 3,800 direct associates and over 25,000 workmen at its sites. The group is committed to investing two per cent of its profits towards corporate social responsibility, focused primarily on education as a transformative tool. With offices in London, Dubai and Shanghai and planned openings in the USA and Singapore, Lodha Group is on the road to substantial international presence.