By Salman Siddiqui/Staff Reporter

Qatar  set a new Guinness World record for the largest number of players in a five- a -side non-stop football match, breaking the old mark by a wide margin at a marathon event at the Aspire Zone yesterday.
In all, 523 players participated in the  attempt to create the new record at the Aspire Zone’s pitch number 7. It took 11 hours 58 minutes and 12 seconds for the teams to accomplish the feat.
The new record is for the most people to actively participate in an  exhibition match of the same game at the same venue.
The event was organised by Qatar Football Association (QFA) and Qatar Shell initiative Koora Time, a five-year sustainable initiative designed to improve the health and wellbeing of Qatar’s youth through football.
The participants beat the current record of 464 players that was set by the BBC Radio 5 Live at the Sheffield United Academy in the UK on October 13, 2012 in their 24-hours of continuous play.
The rules of the game were simple. More than 500 participants first registered themselves online through the www.nsdfootball.com website. Only those who brought their e-mail confirmation to the venue were allowed to participate.
The participants were then split into two teams representing the QFA and Qatar Shell.
Before the game began, the two teams were given an orientation of the rules and group photos were also taken before they were escorted to the pitch.
The game commenced at around 9am and continued until 9pm. The Qatar Shell team and the QFA team scored 267 and 248 goals respectively.
Each participant played for 10 minutes and was immediately swapped with a substitute in order to maximise the number of confirmed players throughout the day.  
An official from the Guinness World Record and his ten witnesses monitored every minute of the game.
A large number of families and youth, including many girls of all age and nationalities participated in the event.
Sarah, a young university graduate, was delighted to have participated in the event. She played from Shell’s side. “This is the first time I’m playing football in my life. I’m really happy to be here and brought all my friends along to participate in the world record,” she said.
Udhan Singh, who works for a private company in Doha and played from QFA’s side, said the last time he played football was 10 years back when he was a college student. “This event has set a new trend in Qatar and I’m excited to be part of this record-breaking attempt,” he said.
Jaimi, a software engineer, said she was glad a large number of women also participated in the event. “Such events are a great motivation to start healthy habits and change your lifestyle. I think the way this event was organised was not only wonderful, but it showed that a tremendous effort had been put in it.”
Krishna Rao had brought his entire family, including wife Vijay Lakhsmi, daughter Thejassvi and son Sai Harsh to participate in the event. Even though their team lost, they remained in high spirits. “That’s because we are participating for a greater cause,” said Rao.
Earlier, Wael Sawan, managing director and chairman of Qatar Shell companies, said, “Qatar Shell is committed to encouraging participation in sport across Qatar. The record breaking event demonstrates our commitment to the Qatar National Vision 2030 and National Development Strategy 2011-2016 as we strive to improve the health and wellbeing of Qatar’s youth.”
Qatar Shell deputy general manager Sheikh Thani al-Thani said: “The world record attempt has been a huge success attracting youth from all over Qatar to come and play, along with their family and friends.”
QFA marketing and commercial head Hamad al-Kuwari said: “We are extremely pleased by the wholehearted response to this exciting initiative. This attempt is an opportunity for the whole family to get active and celebrate National Sport Day – one of Qatar’s most significant public holidays – in a fun and non-competitive environment, while playing the nation’s favourite sport, football.”