Pakistan Football Federation (PFF)'s President Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat has approved Punjab's city Khanewal as host of 6th National Under-15 Championship later this month.
It will be first time that Khanewal will arrange the national-level event of PFF, said former FIFA Referee Mian Abdul Bari who will act as Organising Secretary.
Faisal Saleh has also asked the PFF Operation Wing to take the event seriously and discourage over-age players, as it is part of Youth Development Programme in order to collect fresh talent for future PFF assignments. The players born on or after 1 January 1992 will be eligible to play in coming U15 event.
The 16-team event will be comprised of three U-15 teams of those clubs which had booked berth for Pakistan Premiership 2007 viz Wohaib FC (Lahore), Afghan Club (Chaman) and Punjab Medical college (Lahore). Host Crown Club of Khanewal completes the frame with Northern Areas, FATA, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Islamabad with two teams each from four provinces. The 6th National U15 Championship 2007 will help PFF in making strong Pakistan Under-16 team which will take on Arab nations Syria, Yemen, Oman, Qatar and Central Asian Kyrgyzstan in the AFC U16 Championship Qualifiers (Group-A) from 17th to 28th October 2007.
Punjab will defend the title who were also champions in 1993. Sindh were also victorious twice (1994, 2004) while Balochistan clinched the 2005 edition at Quetta.