Chennai, Oct 14: The MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey Tournament will feature the U-17 Schools Hockey Tournament 2026, with a girls’ competition being introduced for the first time, marking a significant step towards encouraging greater participation in hockey among young players.
Bringing together promising school-level talent from across Tamil Nadu, the tournament aims to strengthen the grassroots hockey ecosystem by providing young athletes with a competitive platform to showcase their skills, gain match experience and pursue their passion for the sport.
U-17 Schools Boys Hockey Tournament
The U-17 Boys’ competition, now in its fourth edition, will see eight schools compete for the title. The line-up includes four teams from Chennai and four from other districts of Tamil Nadu — Madurai, Hosur, Karnambut and Tirunelveli. Divided into two groups, the teams will play their league matches on October 14 and 15.
The league matches will be played in two halves of 25 minutes each, with a five-minute half-time break. The semi-finals and final will follow a four-quarter format, with each quarter lasting 15 minutes. There will be two-minute breaks after the first and third quarters and a five-minute half-time interval.
Indira Gandhi Higher Secondary School, Madurai, will return to defend its title, having emerged victorious in the third edition of the U-17 Boys’ tournament in 2025.
Inaugural U-17 Schools Girls Hockey Tournament
The inaugural U-17 Girls’ category will feature four teams representing Karnambut, Virudhunagar, Pudukkottai and Erode. The teams will compete in the league matches on October 16 and 17.
The league matches will comprise two halves of 20 minutes each, with a five-minute half-time break. The finals will be played in four quarters of 10 minutes each, with two-minute breaks after the first and third quarters and a five-minute half-time interval. The finals will be held on October 17 evening.
The winning teams in both the U-17 tournaments will be awarded a rolling trophy and sports equipment, while the runners-up will receive a second-place rolling trophy and sports equipment.
TI Cycles of India will present bicycles to outstanding players in both categories. Awards will be presented to the Best Forward, Best Midfielder, Best Goalkeeper and Most Promising Player of each tournament, along with the Player of the Match in the boys’ and girls’ finals.
Speaking about the school tournament, Mr Arun Murugappan (also known as Mr M A M Arunachalam), Executive Chairman, Tube Investments of India, said:
“The MCC-Murugappa U-17 Tournament has always been about creating opportunities for young hockey players from across Tamil Nadu to compete, learn and grow. This year, with the introduction of the girls’ category, we are taking another meaningful step towards making the tournament more inclusive and providing more young athletes with the opportunity to pursue their passion for hockey. We hope the tournament continues to inspire young players, strengthen the sport at the grassroots level and provide them with a platform to realise their potential.”
Mr Vivek Reddy, President, MCC, Mr Niranjan Mudaliar, Honorary Secretary, and Mr S L Rajiv Reddy, Organising Secretary will inaugurate the tournament on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, for the boys’ competition and on Friday, October 16, 2026, for the girls’ tournament.
The 97th All-India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey Tournament 2026 will be held from October 22 to November 1, 2026. This will see participation from 10 teams pooled across two groups.
