Zahira Super 16 Soccer Championship 2017 kicks off today
The energetic 7s tournament is now a 11s affair, after great demands - FIle pic
The reformed Zahira Super 16 Soccer Championship 2017 kicks off today with seven matches scheduled to be played at two venues in Colombo. The curtain-raiser match of the seven-day tournament will take place between Wesley College and Isipathana College, scheduled to be played today at 1.30pm at the Zahira ground in Maradana.
Maradana will be the venue for three more matches to be played today from 2.30pm onwards, while City League ground in Slave Island will host the remaining three games from the same time. At Maradana, Nalanda will play against Hameed Al-Hussenia at 2.30pm followed by the games between De Mazenod and Gateway International at 3.30pm and hosts Zahira and Maris Stella at 4.30pm.
Lumbini will take on Hindu College at 2.30pm at the City League ground, where St. Joseph’s are scheduled to take on St. Benedict’s at 3.30pm and Royal Colombo slotted to play Lyceum International at 4.30pm. In total following three group round matches up to the final, the tournament includes 33 games with the final set to be played next Saturday at 4.15pm at Maradana.
Eight matches each have been scheduled for three days from today until Tuesday while the left over match from today has been scheduled for Wednesday at Maradana at 4.15pm. Eight matches each will be played on Monday and Tuesday at Maradana from 2.15pm and at City League ground from 1.30pm on both days. Each venue will have four matches each on both days.
The format of the tournament, played among 16 invited schools for the past 12 years, will be changed from this year, according to the organisers, the Past Prefects’ Association (PPA) of Zahira College, Colombo. Accordingly, the 7-a-side tournament, that was played in a matter of a day, will be extended to a seven-day competition and the format will change into a usual, 11-a-side contest with different time duration.
“This change coincides with the 100-year anniversary of Football at Zahira College, which we really take pride in. We also were requested by the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) to promote the usual 11s format among schools. The PPA took this call positively and came out with a proper structure where we could conduct a fine competition among 16 top Under-19 School Football teams within seven days,” Farizan Marso, the Immediate Past President of the PPA of Zahira College stated.
To entertain the demand, the organisers have introduced diverse playing duration for different stages in order to conduct a total of 33 matches during seven days, including two reserve days. The group stage matches will be played as 25 minutes per each half with a break of five minutes while the format differs when it reaches the knockout stage. The semi-finals and finals of Plate and Shield segments will be played as 20 minutes per each half with a five minute break. The Cup semi-finals will be played as 30 minutes per each half with a 10 minute break while the main final will be 35 minutes for each half with a 10 minute break.
The 16 teams that are in fray for the plum are De Mazenod College, hosts Zahira College, Gateway International, Hindu College Colombo, Hameed Al-Husseinia College, Isipathana College, Lyceum International School, Maris Stella College, Nalanda College, St. Peter’s College, Royal College, St. Benedict’s College, St. Joseph’s College, St. Henry’s College and Trinity College.
After the group stage games, the semi-finals of Cup, Plate and Shield segments will be played on October 19 at Maradana, which will be also the venue for the finals on October 21, beginning from 2.00pm onwards. October 20 has been earmarked as a reserve day, if the competition faces any sort of distraction due to weather or any other reason. The Cup winner of the tournament will receive the coveted trophy and a cash award of Rs. 50,000.
Cool Planet, The Factory Outlet, Bolt Gear, The Traveller have come forward to take on the responsibility of sponsoring the important part of the tournament while the organisers have found each participating school team a sponsor, who will take care of their expenses.