"Leather Ball" is a football tournament that once united all Soviet youth. It was founded in 1964 by the legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin. The practice of holding football battles among schoolchildren throughout the country came to naught over time – the state itself, in which the tradition was born, did not exist. The tournament was revived in Pridnestrovie. On the initiative of the PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky, the beginning of the "Leather Ball" tournament was announced in 2019. Qualifying games were held in all cities and regions of the republic. 2700 schoolchildren – boys and girls – took part in the competition. The coronavirus pandemic prevented the determination of the first winners in the final round.
This year, the organizers and participants of the tournament, maneuvering between the waves of morbidity, nevertheless held a competition. Three groups were allocated –5-6 grades, 7-8 grades and 9-11 grades. Boys and girls teams fought for the victory. The qualifying round was held in every city and district. Cadets and students of the Olympic Reserve School also joined the fight for the tournament cup. 4500 young people totally 432 teams were involved in the competition. The final took place today on the mini-football field of the "Lions arena". The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky arrived to watch the game and congratulate the winners. Congratulating the participants, organizers, coaches, fans, the President noted that by and large everyone who took part in this great sports event is the winner.
“The main goal of the tournament is to attract people to sports as much as possible. Rowing, game sports and football of course unite and introduce people to sports, to a healthy lifestyle. The most important thing is the desire to play – in this case, football. I am convinced that this direction should be promoted. It is necessary to make sure that such football fields are in urban and rural areas, so that the sport is accessible and interesting. We will do this. We are opening five new football facilities this year. This is still not enough, but this is already a movement forward”, Vadim Krasnoselsky emphasized. The PMR President noted the high level of skill of both urban and rural teams. The interest in this sport and the quality of the play of young football players did not go unnoticed. The President expressed confidence that interest in this sport and the "Leather Ball" tournament would grow.
