Dehradun : The much awaited Uttarakhand Super League (USL), the state’s first star-studded franchise-based football tournament which will see 14 teams battle it out for the coveted trophy, was inaugurated in Dehradun on Saturday. A grand opening ceremony at city’s Pavilion ground saw yesteryears Bollywood star Jitendra , former Indian football captain and brand ambassador of USL Baichung Bhutia and chief minister Harish Rawat in attendance. Speaking on the occasion, Rawat said, “I am very happy that a football tournament at such a grand level is being organized in Dehradun . USL will provide the youth of Uttarakhand with an opportunity to explore their love for football.” In the one-month long league cum knockout football tournament, 14 teams - one from each district and one representing Corbett National Park - will battle it out for the prestigious inaugural USL trophy. About 350 football players from Uttarakhand , 17 from other states and some from foreign countries will be participating in the tournament. It is for the first time that international players will be seen in action along with domestic football players in a football tournament in Uttarakhand . According to the organizers, USL has participants from Ivory Coast, Gabon, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan and Nepal. Dehradun Capital Rangers, the team representing Dehradun district, is being coached by Clebson Duarte , a FIFA-level coach from Brazil. Earlier in the day, a road show was also organized by Dehradun Capital Rangers, which started from Hotel Rajpur Heights and passed through Sai Mandir , Pacific Mall, Nehru Colony, Clement Town, FRI and the Tibetan Market before culminating at Parade Ground. The first match will be played on Sunday between Haridwar Ganges and Rudraprayag Monals followed by an encounter between Pauri Platoons and Uttarkashi Glaciers.

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