Aspire Zone Foundation, in partnership with Qatar Central Bank, has recently launched the ‘Aspire Banks Football Tournament’. Running every Saturday from November 2016 – January 2016, the tournament sees strong competition from twelve banks across Qatar.
The twelve banks participating in this year’s tournament were divided into two groups. Banks in Group (A) include: Qatar Central Bank, Standard Chartered, Barwa Bank, Doha Bank, Commercial Bank, and the International Bank of Qatar.
Banks in Group (B) include Qatar National Bank, Mashreq Bank, Qatar Islamic Bank, Masraf Al Rayyan, Ahli Bank, and the Qatar International Islamic Bank. The qualifier rounds will be played from November through to December, with the quarter-finals, semifinals and final taking place in January.
Commenting on the launch of the tournament Abdullah al-Khater, Events Manager at Aspire Zone Foundation, said: “Our partnership with Qatar Central Bank to host the Aspire Banks Tournament comes in line with Aspire Zone’s efforts to promote healthy lifestyles and engage community members in various sporting activities. This tournament is a great opportunity for bank employees to step out of their daily office routine, and encourage them to maintain an active lifestyle. The tournament is also a good networking opportunity between employees in various sectors.”
President of the Qatar Handball Association and Director of Administration and Finance Department at Qatar Central Bank and team’s supervisor Ahmed Mohamed al-Shaabi said: “We’re excited to be partnering with a highly prestigious organisation such as Aspire Zone Foundation in hosting this tournament.
Aspire Zone has done an outstanding job with its level of organisation and we are confident this year will be an even bigger success, building on previous editions.”
The tournament got off to a strong start last Saturday with a number of exciting matches that were played out in Aspire Dome’s indoor pitch between Group A and Group B competitors.
The tournament kicked off with an astonishing 7-1 win for Qatar Central Bank against Standard Chartered, earning it a top spot in Group (A), and a 3-1 victory for Barwa Bank against Doha Bank, earning it second place. Group B matches started on a high note with a 9-1 triumph for Qatar National Bank against Mashreq Bank, and a 5-4 win for Masraf Al Rayyan in a closely fought game against Qatar Islamic Bank.
In the second week of the tournament, Qatar Central Bank continued its winning streak with another 5-3 victory against Commercial Bank. Excitement reached its peak during the second match as Barwa Bank trumped International Bank of Qatar with a 5-0 win.
The second round of the group (B) matches continued with another strong performance from Qatar National Bank, who won 5-1 against Ahli Bank. Meanwhile, Qatar Islamic Bank turned the tables after its loss last week, earning a 6-2 win against Qatar International Islamic Bank.
The third week of Group A’s matches ended with a smashing 6-1 win for Doha Bank against International Bank of Qatar, while Commercial Bank and Standard Chartered drew 3-3.  
In group (B), Masraf Al Rayyan stunned in their game against Qatar International Islamic Bank with an impressive 10-1 win, as Mashreq Bank suffered a 0-8 loss for the second consecutive week, securing a win for Ahli Bank.
While preparing for their match Credit Supervisor and coach of Masraf Al Rayyan’s Bank Khalid Ahmed Yousef, said: “We’re excited to participate for the second year in the tournament. We have seen a strong level from participating teams, but we are hopeful our team will be able to win the title.”