Bayern to scout for India’s young talent
New Delhi: Legendary German football club Bayern Munich will scout for 11 under-16 players in India with the launch of the FC Bayern Youth Cup program here on October 15 and 16. The youth scouting program will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and the chosen Indian footballers will go on to represent the country at the FC Bayern Youth Cup which will be held a couple of days after the Champions League finals at Allianz Arena, Munich in May 2012. “The scouting program in India is an initiative taken by adidas, Audi and FC Bayern Munich to promote the game of football and give young talent the opportunity to experience the game at an international level,” the organisers said in a statement. The programme allows participants to choose the position they would like to play in and the preferred time slot as well. There is no participation fee for attending the scouting program. (PTI)
Blackburn Rovers to reach Pune today
Mumbai: English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers are set to arrive in Pune on Wednesday morning by a chartered aircraft from Manchester to commence a three-day tour of the country. During their visit the club, owned by Indian poultry firm Venky’s headquartered in Pune, would play a friendly match against Pune FC on October 7, the first time ever, an English Premiership club would be playing a match in the country, a media release said today. The match is to be played under lights from 6.30 pm at the Shiv Chhattrapati Balewadi Sports Complex. A tight security blanket has been cast around all venues the team would visit, including the stadium and hotels. Security passes and badges are being issued to all the personnel who would be around the team, besides the national and international sports media arriving in Pune to cover the tour, the release added. (PTI)
Record prizemoney for 2011 OZ Open
Melbourne: Next year’s Australian Open will be the richest tournament in Grand Slam tennis history, with the winners of both the men’s and women’s singles to pocket $2.3 million (USD 2.2 million). Organizers announced today that a total of $26 million ($25 million) will be paid out in next January’s event. Martina Hingis will be the main attraction to the new women’s legends event, although there was no immediate confirmation of reports the former women’s No. 1 would play mixed doubles with fellow Swiss Roger Federer in preparation for a potential pairing at the 2012 Olympic Games. Tournament director Craig Tiley said he expected defending champion Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams to bolster a women’s draw . (Agencies)