Blue and Gold Hockey 7s on Aug. 10 and 11

(From left): Dr. Jayantha Senanayake (Treasurer, RCHC), Riyaz Aluher (Assistant Principal, Royal) and Dr. Nishan Sembacuttiaratchy (CEO, ESOFT Metro Campus) (picture by Pradeep Dilrukshana)    

By Susil Premalal   

The 19th edition of the Blue and Gold Hockey 7s, organised by Royal College in collaboration with the Royal College Hockey Club (RCHC) will be held on August 10 and 11 at the Royal College Grounds in Colombo.   

ESOFT is the main sponsor of this year’s all-island tournament, which was started in 1992. This year, the tournament will see the participation of 43 Boys’ teams and 25 Girls’ teams vying for honours.   

The ESOFT Blue and Gold Hockey 7s will see over 150 matches in the two days including Cup, Plate and Bowl finals in both Boys’ and Girls’ categories. All the matches will be played in three courts at the Royal College main ground.   

“We are thrilled to see the backing we received to go ahead with the tournament this time,” said Damitha Silva, the Secretary of the RCHC.   

“We are blessed to have our main sponsor ESOFT, who has generously come forward to support this tournament for the second straight year along with others who have helped in numerous ways to elevate this tournament to the highest level in the Blue and Gold Hockey 7s history.”   

“Backed by all these great sponsors, this year’s tournament is all set to be a historic event with a record number of teams,” he added.   

This year’s event promises to be bigger, better and more exciting than ever before with a participation of 68 teams.   

The tournament will feature teams in the Under-20 age group from schools across the country including some lesser-known teams including those from the Northern Province with an aim to provide an opportunity that would allow these teams to aspire to a higher level of competition.   

“As a top private tertiary education institution, ESOFT is committed to empowering and uplifting secondary education standards. We take immense pride in being the title sponsor for the Blue and Gold Hockey Sevens 2024 for the second straight year,” Dr. Dayan Rajapakse, Chairman and MD, ESOFT Metro Campus said.