Jamshedpur to host 3rd IBFF Blind Football Zonal C’ship from Nov 1

Jamshedpur, Oct 31: The 3rd IBFF North-Central Blind Football Zonal Championship will be held from November 1 to 3, 2025, at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur. The three-day tournament is being jointly organized by the Divyang Margdarshan Trust, Jharkhand, and the Indian Blind Football Federation (IBFF) for visually impaired male and female players.

A total of 15 teams—eight men’s and seven women’s—from various states of eastern and northern India will compete in the event. The men’s teams, comprising 88 players, represent West Bengal, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Bihar, and host Jharkhand. In the women’s category, 77 players from West Bengal, Haryana, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, and Bihar will participate, taking the total number of players to 165.

Addressing a press meet on Friday, Jagannath Behera, Director of Divyang Margdarshan Trust, Jharkhand informed that Jamshedpur was chosen as the host city upon special request from IBFF, given its history of successfully organizing national-level tournaments for visually impaired athletes.

The matches will be played on a league-cum-knockout format. The first day will feature league matches, followed by semi-finals and finals on the concluding day. Winners, runners-up, and second runners-up in both categories will receive trophies, medals, and certificates at the closing ceremony.

Twelve technical officials and 20 volunteers have been deployed to ensure smooth conduct of the championship. The main sponsors include Cheshire Disability Trust, Child Help Foundation, Jamshedpur Football Club, Tata Steel Foundation–Sabal, Krishna Diamond, Parivartan, and Yuva.