Kids bent it like Beckham on the inaugural day of The All India Football Federation (AIFF) Golden Baby League at Tata Football Academy ground in Bistupur on Saturday.

The event, which is being organised by Jamshedpur Football Club for the first time, will stretch till May.

As many as 700 kids in the Under-7, 9 and 11 age groups will be playing in the league. The young players from the grassroots football schools affiliated to the JFC have been divided into 60 teams.

Matches for the U-7 category will be of 30-minute duration while players in the U-9 group will sweat it out for 40 minutes. The U-11 kids, on the other hand, will have to play 50-minute matches.

Jamshedpur FC skipper Tiri and Piti, though injured, took pains to grace the inauguration.

Jamshedpur FC chief executive officer Mukul Choudhari said hosting the league a step in the right direction.

“Jamshedpur FC and Tata Steel have contributed to the overall development of football in Jharkhand and we are committed to making football stars in future. Hosting the Junior Champs last year and Golden Baby League now in Jamshedpur is a step in the right direction as it gives the little ones a chance to play competitive football,” he said.

Choudhari, also chief (sports excellence) of Tata Steel, said he was glad that the football schools they started in Jamshedpur were taking part in the tourney.

Participants from eight Jamshedpur FC Football Schools across the city, Mount Litera Zee School (Mango), Kerala Samajam Model School (Golmuri), RVS Academy (Dimna Road), DBMS Kadma High School, Loyola School, Carmel Junior College, DAV Public School (Bistupur) and Hill Top School (Telco) are part of the league.