Cargills Food City joins in partnership with the Football Federation of Sri Lanka once again to kick off the prestigious FA Cup, the trophy which in itself is a longstanding tradition of the game globally.
ThePapare.com in their vision to promote the game around the country has also partnered with Cargills Food City and the Football Federation of Sri Lanka as the ‘Official Web Partner’ for the FA Cup 2014.
This year a record 628 teams from 71 leagues, compared to 173 last year will be competing for this iconic trophy. One hundred and fifty nine teams will be participating from the Northern region alone, with the Jaffna league represented by 35 teams which is the most from any league across the island. The FA Cup is an underdog fan’s dream where the possibility of a minnow becoming a giant killer is much prevalent.
Mr. Sanjeewa Fernando, Deputy General Manager – Marketing of Cargills Foods Company (Pvt) Ltd said the tie up was a part of the long term strategy of the Group to support the empowerment of youth through sports.
He went on to say that “Football is a game that touches ordinary people in extraordinary ways. In that sense the game’s spirit is aligned to Cargills Food City and our own philosophy of making an impact on the lives of ordinary Sri Lankans.”
Cargills has put its weight behind Football in Sri Lanka through the national partnership sealed with FFSL in 2013 underlining its commitment to developing the game at every level which includes the FIFA Grassroots programme, Schools U19 Knockout Championship, Women’s Competitions, Beach & Futsal programs in addition to the Cargills Food City FA Cup which are all covered under the national partnership inked with FFSL.
Mr. Rumaiz Rahim, Head of Cargills Sports added that Cargills has been synonymous with youth development and the Group has in the recent past put its strength behind several national sporting events.
“Through our partnership with the Football Federation of Sri Lanka, we will contribute towards the development of the national team by striving to build a new generation of outstanding Football players in Sri Lanka.
“It is on this premise that the Cargills Food City FA Cup was established as a platform to popularize & increase the value of Football in Sri Lanka. We believe the game has a long way to go in Sri Lanka but it cannot reach its full potential unless the Football Association is able to rally the Country and specially the youth around it.” Mr. Rahim mentioned Cargills’ objective and what needs to be done for the future of football.
“The success of games such as cricket and rugby has been how attracted the game to young people in terms of the glamour and the prestige attached. This is a journey that Cargills has commenced to partnering the long term, to help bring national football to the forefront” he said finishing his speech.
The defending champions of the Cargills Food City FA Cup are Sri Lanka Army who beat Kalutara Blue Star in a hard fought yet convincing manner in the final held at Sugathadasa Stadium last year. It was encouraging to note that for the first time in a number of years the final drew a large crowd & the stadium was packed to capacity.
This year’s competition too will feature many of the known names, notably Saunders from Gunasinghepura who have won the FA Cup over 20 times, Ratnam (6 times winners) and Renown SC (5 times winners) who head the table of clubs having won this prestigious trophy the most number of times. As an outstation club St. Anthony’s from Trincomalee won this trophy in the 70’s.
“I would like to call what we have with Cargills as a partnership rather than a sponsorship. Cargills are in partnership with us not only for the FA Cup but with other aspects of football in Sri Lanka, such as Futsal, Grassroot programmes, Beach football, with the national team and many more. And I hope we can continue this venture to even greater heights.” Football Federation President Ranjith Rodrigo mentioned.
