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Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) yesterday sealed a partnership with QAPCO (Qatar Petrochemical Company) that will see it become the official sponsor of Aspire Zone’s Five-a-side indoor football tournament. Teams will begin competing on January 10, with the finals due to take place on February 8, ahead of Qatar’s National Sport Day. |
The partnership was signed at a press conference attended by Khaled al-Sulaiteen, Acting President of Aspire Zone Foundation, Dr Mohamed Yousef al-Mulla, Vice-Chairman and CEO of QAPCO, Abdullah al-Muhannadi, President of the Futsal and Beach Soccer Committee in the Qatar Football Association, and retired indoor star player Mohamed Eissa al-Kubaisi, who now serves as coach of the Al Sadd indoor team.
The tournament will see the participation of 48 teams representing a myriad of organisations from all over Qatar including major public entities, private companies, banks, ministries as well as embassies.
“We are all proud of QAPCO’s achievements, especially those in the sports and social arenas which have set the standard for constructive social responsibility programmes, and I am honoured to welcome one of Qatar’s key national manufacturers to the host of organisations supporting this tournament,” remarked al-Sulaiteen.
“The tournament is one of many initiatives undertaken by AZF in its mission to offer unique activities that promote a healthy lifestyle among all sectors in the community, as it involves teams representing everyone from government entities to NGOs and charities. We have looked to be as inclusive as possible, especially as we come closer to celebrating Qatar National Sport Day 2014,” he added.
From his side, al-Mulla commented, “It’s an honour to be sponsoring Aspire Zone’s five-a-side championship. For the last eight years, we have made a concentrated effort to promote healthy lifestyles by encouraging residents to play sports.
“For example, this year we launched the QAPCO Sports Club in Messaieed. A dedicated recreational area, it boasts a range of sporting facilities for the local community.
“This football tournament further demonstrates QAPCO’s ongoing mission of promoting sports to all members of the community.”
The opening match will honour al-Kubaisi, former captain of Al Sadd and the Qatari National Indoor Team, who thanked AZF and QAPCO for their support of the increasingly popular sport.
The winning team is set to receive a monetary award of QAR 75,000, while the first and second runners-up sides are set to receive awards of QAR 50,000 and QAR 25,000, respectively.