Hameed Al Husseinie College is amongst the country's oldest educational institutions and throughout that time it has been constantly nurturing its sports. Its greatest contribution, however, has come on the football field, where it not only dominates a great many opponents but also helps promote the sport by organizing a prominent annual tournament.

The Hameed Al Husseinie All Island Inter School Invitation Football Tournament will see its fourth edition staged at the end of this month at the Sugathadasa Stadium. The Tournament Committee Chairman, Zulfikar Ahmed said that interest in the tournament is rapidly rising together with the number of participating teams.

Best Overall student Abdul Hameed.

Currently there are twenty schools listed to take part including big names such as Zahira College, St. Joseph's College, Ananda College and Royal College to name a few. Aside from their role as tournament organizer the school is also one of the leading schools in the football arena. 2010 especially, was one of their most productive years. In the seven-a-side format, they took home the Ananda College and Hindu College tournament titles. They also ran away with the Milo division one trophy.

In the finals of the Hindu College competition they beat out school football juggernauts Zahira College through a penalty shootout, while in the Ananda College Championship they beat out St. Peter's College. In the finals of the division one contest, they had a more straightforward victory, beating De Mazenod College 3-0.

These achievements are greatly commendable considering that the school doesn't have a football ground to call its own. "We use the neighboring Sirisena grounds for our practice. One of the coaches, Azmeer Aliyar, is also an old boy of the school and once represented Sri Lanka," Mr. Ahmed reveals.
Two of the key players that have aided much of Hameed Al Husseinie's football progress throughout the previous year are Mohamed Nadeen and Mohamed Rinzan, both of whom play for the Sri Lanka Schools team.

According to Zulfiqar the school also has aspirations to be a powerful force on the athletics track. "We have done well in a lot of zonal tournaments but we are hoping to make it into the Western Province tournament soon," Zulfikar explained.

This ambition might not be too far fetched considering the athletic talent the school seems to have in abundance. Among some of the gifted are Tassin Hayder, a distance runner and the Best Overall Student Abdul Hameed, a high jumper.

Another extra curricular activity that the school has excelled in is Karate. Many students from Al Husseinie show an active interest in the sport and they have of late taken part in a Western Province and Zonal tournament.

Zulfikar says that the school has several future plans to propel its sporting progress even further, such as restarting Boxing and constructing a basketball court. Nevertheless, for Hameed Al Husseinie College, the most important thing is not the glory that comes with victory but the satisfaction that results from playing in the right spirit.

"What we want to see from all our students when they go out and play is for them to show true sportsmanship," Zulfikar expresses.