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HT GIFA 2017: It’s time for a power-packed celebration of football
The opening ceremony of SARE Homes HT GIFA, at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex, near INA, is underway. Here’s a lowdown.
The excitement is peaking as it’s almost time for the opening ceremony of the biggest neighbourhood football tournament in Delhi-NCR, SARE Homes HT GIFA. Breathtaking music and dance acts will make this an extravaganza to remember for a long time.
More than 2,500 teams registered for Season 4 of the tournament. The pre-qualifiers, which ran over two weekends — Aug 12-13 and Aug 19-20 — saw 632 teams playing knockout matches. Of the 316 teams that got knocked out, 30 have returned as wild card entries after a total of 1.6 lakh votes were cast online.
The number of votes cast in Season 4 broke records, infusing the tournament with a new energy. Now, on September 16, that energy will crackle even more at the opening ceremony of SARE Homes HT GIFA. The venue is Thyagaraj Sports Complex, near the INA market (Metro station: INA), and the time is 5pm.
The event will be full of remarkable performances and star power. Riding high on the success of his hits, including Jolly LLB 2 and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, the ‘Khiladi of Bollywood’ Akshay Kumar is all set to rock the stage. The star was present at the opening ceremony of the past two seasons of GIFA as well.
The Delhi-based multi-genre Hindi band, Astitva, who were loved by the opening ceremony audience last year, will again hold the audience spellbound. Other headline acts include a show by the Zenith Dance Troupe, a Western and semi-classical dance group.
Harsh Sen, a resident of Munirka Enclave, says, “I’ve been eagerly waiting for the opening ceremony. Being a fan of Akshay Kumar and football, it’ll be a surreal experience for me.”
The grand trophy of Season 4 will be unveiled at the event. Be sure to catch all the action live!
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