TRO football 2003 was held on the sunny Sunday at Prince George's Playing Field in Merton. This event is been held for the past twelve years and generated a lot of money for the good causes and is been super day out for the whole family. The last Sunday event was its thirteenth year and was even more spectacular. The football, netball, volleyball, athletic events for kids, shops, food stalls and the screaming supporters added to a great atmosphere.

As usual this year the competition for the trophies was high and the standard of football to be proud of. The competing teams came from all over Europe and measured their standard against their European counterparts.

In the junior level football Kingston Institute of Tamil Culture (KITC) dominated the scene by winning the Triple Crown at Under 10, 12 and 14.

In the Under 10 Football Kingston Institute of Tamil Culture (KITC) were crowned champions. They beat Valvai Blues in the final by 4-1. Nishan Selvakumar from KITC was named man of the match, though small in stature he made up for it with his skills in a remarkable display. The third place went to the Union team.

In the Under 12 Football Kingston Institute of Tamil Culture (KITC) were again involved in a tussle with Valvai Blues for the championship crown but the results were no different as KITC beat them by 4-0. The man of the match award went to Mathulan Gangeaswaran of KITC for his outstanding display. The Union team was placed third again.

In Under 14 Football level Kingston Institute of Tamil Culture (KITC) faced Brent Tamils in the finals and KITC beat them by 4-0. Branavan Thayaparan from KITC was awarded the man of the match award. The union team had to be content with the third place for the third time.

In the Under 16 level KITC were pre match favourites to win the crown but the surprise package Tamilalayam Frankfurt soon showed that they did not travel all the way from Germany for a day out. They got into their rhythm very early and gave a formidable display in knocking out pre match favourites KITC by 3-1. The footballing lesson continued as they brush passed their opponents to reach the final against Valvai Blues. It is never easy to face Valvai Blues and with their very vocal supporters it is even more intimidating. Having said that Tamilalayam Frankfurt had not read the script and went on to beat the Valvai Blues easily by 3-0. From the inception it was never in doubt that who would be the eventual champion but what would be the margin of victory. Tamil Athletics were placed third.

Rohan Devadas who won man of the match award was a class act. He could have easily played for an adult team and dazzled everyone with his skills. On the whole Tamilalayam Frankfurt wowed the crowd with their football skills. They gave their supporters who travelled from Germany more than something to cheer about and they did cheer their team all the way to the top. It would be great to see these players perform in the future in the adult circuit and foolish to miss those matches. Take the calendar now mark the days of this event and keep them free.

Very rarely do Valvai Blues go empty handed in any football event. With their army of vocal supporters it would have been considered a disaster. The match kicked off at 6.30pm with hundreds of people eagerly awaiting the clash. From the very first whistle the Valvai Blues supporters made their intentions and support very clear by cheering every pass and every tackle made by their team. The team lifted by this support went on to beat France Elavar by 3-0 to lift the TRO 2003 football challenge cup and in the process averting an imminent disaster for their supporters. The France Elavar who until now have played very well were unable to respond to the pressure from both the Valvai Blues players and supporters. The third place went to Norway Stars.

Rajprahash Murugathas from Valvai Blues was awarded the man of the match. He scored a spectacular goal form a free kick by bending it like Beckham. The final whistle was cheered by all for the quality of football displayed through out the day and the victors were carried around the grounds by their jubilant supporters.

Valvai blues with their enthusiastic and vocal supporters and pool of young talented players are sure to dominate the UK's Tamil football scene for years to come. Other teams have a battle on their hands if they want to avert their dominance.