DPS United, Mother's Newcastle and Guru Harkrishan Southampton... . No, Beckham has not changed his team's name to an Indian one.

These are all names of the 16 football teams that will participate in the ESPN Premier League Junior, which was kicked-off on Tuesday by India football captain Baichung Bhutia.

The teams, picked from the cream of Delhi schools, have been named after teams in the English premier league and will vie with each other for nine days.

The tournament, to be played on a round-robin format, is also being launched in Kolkata, on January 28th, and in Mumbai, on February 4.

"This is a unique venture and efforts like this should be encouraged. There is a lot of talent at the school level and
events like this will encourage them to showcase their talent. I would love see more initiatives like this one," Bhutia said.

The winning schools in the each city would be awarded the EPJ Gold Trophy, and a cash prize of 10,000, with daily prizes being given to the best player and even the best cheered team.

The league kicked-off with a match between Guru Harkishan Southampton and G D Goenka Public School.

However, some teams are unhappy with the timing of the tournament as it coincides with the school examinations.