Football Five’s World Championship in Qatar
Doha, Qatar - During a press briefing held in Radisson Blu Hotel on Tuesday, Qatar Lubricants Company (QALCO) officially announced the launch ofthe Qualifying rounds for The Football Five's World Championship (F5WC) in Qatar.
The Football Five’s World Championship (F5WC) brings together a global initiative to select talented amateur football players through regional 5-a-side qualifying rounds to then compete in the Dubai 2014 finals. The tournament aims to find undiscovered talent, showcased in Dubai and gives a platform for professional football clubs to scout and sign this talent.
The qualifying rounds for the amateur football championship, sponsored by QALCO, aims to discover aspiring male footballers over 16 years who are not professionally registered with any football club in Qatar. The tournament is being managed by Legacy Sports & Events/DUPLAYS Doha.
Supported by the Qatar Football Association as the official venue provider, the QFA will also provide official referees for the tournament to ensure the Laws of the Game are enforced during the course of all matches. QFA’s support for this tournament demonstrates QFA’s social responsibility vision to spread the game of football amongst the community along with the positive values it brings to the people. QFA constantly focuses and targets different age groups in the community by introducing and supporting different football-related initiatives and tournaments, thus, creating a football-loving nation.
Present at the Press Conference were Mr. Fawad Rana, Managing Director - Qatar Lubricants, Mr. Khalid Al Kuwari, Director of Marketing and Communications - QFA, Mr. Hamad Al Amari, Managing Partner - Legacy Sports & Events/Duplays Doha and Mr. Carl Windley, Co-Founder – Legacy Sports & Events and official spokesperson for the F5WC Qatar Qualifiers. The ceremony was also attended by other senior officials from the QFA, QALCO and Legacy Sports & Events.
Chairman Qatar Lubricants Co, H.E Sheikh Sultan Bin Jassim Al Thani expressed his visible commitment to the development of sports in Qatar. On this occasion, he added “QALCO has always been steadfast in its support for the National Vision 2030 and innovative sports ideas. Our initiative is in line with the milestone that we hope to achieve for Qatar in the world of sports by the year 2030.”
This commitment is derived from the conviction that sports can serve as a significant tool for improving the outlook of the youth by teaching them teamwork, perseverance, dedication, and responsibility.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, the Managing Director of Qatar Lubricants, Mr. Fawad Rana said, "QALCO identified football as one of the key platforms for communicating its core brand message.Beyond this, we also recognize that football acts as a common thread for people in Qatar irrespective of nationality, culture or language, given it has now become a source of national pride and joy in the country."
He indicated that F5WC Qatar Qualifiers is an integral part of their CSR initiative aimed at promoting sports in Qatar. It seeks to bring to light the skills of young and talented players by giving them the platform to become world class football stars.
During the briefing, Mr. Khalid Al Kuwari, Director of Marketing and Communications for QFAsaid, “The F5WC is designed to provide a structured platform for aspiring football players and gives an opportunity to tap into a vast pool of buddingfootball talent that is found in this country. As the Qatari football’s governing body, one of our main objectives is to have a direct positive impact on the popularity and development of the game in the country and allow it to continue to grow through our contribution and support to various amateur and community leagues.
“As QFA is the football governing body in Qatar, it focuses heavily on grassroots development of football talent through such supporting initiatives.” he added.
On behalf of Legacy Sports & Events/DUPLAYS Doha, Mr. Hamad Al Amari commented, "We are very proud to have been awarded the rights to manage the inaugural F5WC Qatar Qualifiers. We believe this tournament is very important for the development of football in the country for everyone - be it players, supporters or organizers in the run up to the 2022 World Cup. From youngsters showcasing their skills to some of the top scouts in the world, to older players who just want to be part of a world championship, the F5WC concept brings together players of all ages, cultures, nationalities and standards. With the prodigious sponsorship of QALCO and the backing of the QFA, we aim to make this tournament exciting, competitive and fun with the aim of bringing the World Finals to Qatar in the coming years."
Local qualifying rounds in Qatar will be held on Fridays & Saturdays in April and May 2014. There will be group stage tournaments, in which the winning teams will proceed from the pre-qualifying stage to the Qatar Finals. A total of 32 teams will be competing on the Finals Day that will be held on Friday, 23rd May 2014. The victorious team will win an all-expenses paid trip to Dubai including 3 nights stay at the Marriott Hotel from the 12 - 14 of June 2014, while competing against 31 other countries at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
Registrations are now open for the much anticipated football championship.
Visit www.F5WC.com or call 4493 2268 to find out more.
