The 13th Zahira Super 16 Football Championship will kick-off on 7th October with the main attraction being the All Stars v Cricket Stars football match.

As Zahira College Football celebrates 100 years, littered with championship glory, the curtain raiser of the 13th Zahira Super 16 Football Championship 2017, All Stars v Cricket Stars, ‘Celebrity Football Match’ powered by Cool Planet, The Factory Outlet and Bolt Gear will be held on Saturday 7th October at Zahira College grounds at 3.30pm.

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The Cricket Stars will be led by former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardena, and the team will include the likes of Romesh Kaluwitharana, Graeme Labrooy, Chaminda Vaas, Upul Chandana, Nuwan Zoysa and Isuru Udana.

The All Stars will be led by singer Santhush Weeraman and will include popular personalities of various sectors like rugby, football, business, artists, media etc.

The Zahira Super 16 tournament will begin on the 15th and end on 22nd October. For the past 12 years this was conducted as a ‘Sevens Football Tournament’ but the organizers, The Past Prefects’ Association of Zahira College, has decided to change the format to a traditional ‘Eleven-a-side Tournament’ which will give more exposure to the players and add more value to youth football in Sri Lanka.’

This year there will be four new schools including Zahira’s arch rivals Hameed Al Husseinie College, Gateway International College, Lyceum International and St. Henry’s College, Jaffna.

Group A will have last year’s champions Wesley College including Hameed Al Husseinie College, Isipathana College and Nalanda College. Group B will have Trinity College, Hindu College, St. Peter’s College and St. Henry’s College.

2016 U19 Division I champions St. Joseph’s College heads Group C which includes St. Benedict’s College, Royal College and Lyceum International. Group D will be the ‘Group of Death’ which will have football power houses in hosts Zahira College, Maris Stella College and De Mazenod College. Gateway College is the 4th team of group D.

Group matches will be played as 25 minutes per half while Plate, Bowl & Shield matches will be played as 20 minutes per half. Cup semi-finals will be 30 minutes per half and Cup final will be 35 minutes per half.

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Group top will move into the Cup semi-finals while group runners-up will move into the Bowl semi-finals. Cup semi-final losers will play the Plate final while the Bowl semi-final losers will play the Shield final.

The main sponsors will be Cool Planet while the Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsors will be The Factory Outlet, Bolt Gear and The Traveller respectively. Further, like last year there will be 16 different sponsors for the 16 teams that are participating.

Group A Group B Group C Group D
Wesley College Trinity College St. Joseph’s College Zahira College
Hameed Al Husseinie Hindu College St. Benedict’s College Maris Stella College
Isipathana College St. Peter’s College Royal College De Mazenod College
Nalanda College St. Henry’s College Lyceum International Gateway College