As the Indian footballing season draws a close this month alongwith the EPLs and La Ligas, there is still a pinch of spice that remains for football fans in Mumbai in the form of the Vile Parle Premier League (VPPL). After completing four successful seasons amidst great fanfare, the Season 5 of the league begins tomorrow and will go on till May 31.

VPPL is an enthralling and mind boggling football tournament whose main motto is to promote football among the masses and reach out to the younger generation. The organizers of the League are of the age group 15-24 hence following the concept of ‘For the youngsters, by the youngsters’.

VPPL is a franchise based football league which will see inclusion of two divisions with eight teams per division in this season. Also, the league will be hosting a Girls Tournament as well as an Under-16 tournament thereby promoting football to an even wider scope in the city. The league will see over 450 players participating and expects an audience of more than 8,000 during the course of 13 days.

To make the league an even more lucrative property the league has tied up with Mumbai FC who play in the top tier of Indian football, the I-League. Mumbai FC coaches will be scouting the participating players throughout the league and select the best quality ones for their Under-19 team.

Mumbai FC Head of Youth Development, Kundan Chandra, opined, “The expectations from this league are high as there are a number of players participating. With so many players coming together it provides an opportunity to uncover the city’s most talented youngsters.”

Siddarth Sabapathy, who is one of the founders of VPPL, said, “The league is growing every year. More and more youngsters are wanting to play. We are a very football savvy and passionate group of youngsters who have the aim to develop football in the city. We are sure the league will be a grand success and better than any of the previous seasons.”