NEW DELHI: In the last two years since Delhi University (DU) got sports trials under a centralised system , most candidates opted for football while applying under the quota. This year, the trials are scheduled to take place from June 22 to July 1 and students will have an option of choosing from various sports like basketball , volleyball , athletics etc.Despite India being a cricket-obsessed country, these sports have become popular over the years because of good infrastructure that students get on campus, said a university official. “We provide good facilities and encourage them to do better in these sports on an international scale, ” said Anil Kalkal, the director of Delhi University Sports Council (DUSC).According to data from the last two years, football got the most number of applications, with 1,391 applying in 2017 and 1,297 in 2016. Kalkal said this was because many schools have now started encouraging students to take up these sports “as they result in all-round development”. He added, “FIFA has been encouraging football at a local level because of which there has been a rise in the number of such tournaments. So, more players are showing interest and taking up the sport from the grassroots level.”Similarly, more and more aspirants are now preferring sports like basketball and athletics, said the DUSC director. “Our medal tally has improved considerably, particularly in the past two years after the system was centralised,” he said, adding that the university has a good record in these sports.He added that after the centralised admission portal was adopted, there has been a jump in the number of students applying to DU. “It is simpler now as students only have to upload their certificates on the portal and then attend trials,” he said.Aditya Swamy, a second-year Bcom (H) student of Shyam Lal College, agrees. He applied under the sports quota last year and gave trials for athletics. “It was much easier. I only had to upload my certificates and was called for trials at the university polo ground,” Swamy said. He added that it saves a lot of time as students don’t have to go to different colleges to give trials. “We can focus on our game better”, he said.DU has a sports quota of up to 5% in all its courses. Aspirants can get through by applying under the ‘super’ category in which admissions take place directly or they can give trials. The trials will be conducted at different centres, mostly college campuses and sports grounds.