The Fiji Gujarati Sports Association has noted a decrease in the number of teams participating in its annual Inter-District Championship over the years.

President Sanjay Patel says this is a challenge the association has been trying to tackle.

In the past years, the competition would see teams divided into two or three divisions but this has not been the case recently.

This year only six teams are participating in the IDC and Patel says this is due to a number of reasons.

“This year there are only six teams again due to restriction of travel. Our overseas-based teams that did participate in 1999, did not come this year so we only have six. Obviously, the Gujarati community has decreased and the team number has fallen from previous years.”

He adds migration is also a major factor in the decline in numbers of participating teams.

Patel says the association has a plan on ways to boost participation.

“What we are trying to encourage is we only allow each team to register 20 players so that the additional players can then go and form other teams so that participation can increase in the future.”

The Gujarati IDC continues today.

Meanwhile, the Digicel Premier League will resume next week with Labasa hosting Nadi at Subrail Park, Rewa to meet Navua at Ratu Cakobau Park, Lautoka to take on Suva at Churchill Park and Navua to battle Ba at Uprising Sports Centre.