July 24, 2008	Thursday	Rajab 20, 1429

KARACHI, July 23: The Premier League Football (PLF), an event now in its sixth year, kicks off from Aug 16.

Featuring 16 local clubs who would be playing at various local Karachi stadiums including the National Coaching Centre, Korangi Baloch Stadium, City District Government Karachi (CDGK) Stadium, the DHA Ground at Khyaban-i-Rahat, the PLF returns this year in a somewhat revamped state, thanks to its new organisers Sports 360, a company set up with the prime vision of promoting professional sports in Pakistan.

The clubs featuring in the tournament are Usmanabad Union, Mauripur Baloch, Korangi Rangers, Hyderi Baloch, Hazara Mohammadan, Baloch Mujahid, Ghani XI, Lal Baksh Memorial, Sharafi Mohammadan, Maymar Sports, Gharibnawaz Dalmiya, Aurora FC, Nazimabad FC, Gulshan SC, Karachi United and Shahzad Mohammadan Malir.

Speaking at PLF’s launching at a local hotel on Wednesday evening, Ali Ata one of the organisers said that the league had been revamped with more cash awards, bonuses along with other incentives for the players.

“The winning team in the final will receive the prize-winning sum of one million rupees with more cash prizes for the runners-up, most valuable player, highest scorer, emerging player, best manager, best referee and so on,” he said.

“Apart from the prize money, the amount being spent just on players, officials, ground preparations, etc., itself would be somewhere in the region of over 10 million,” he added. Free kits too would be provided to all the participants.

The event itself has been divided into two phases. In the first phase, the teams play each other on a single league basis totalling 120 matches from August to December. This would be followed by the play-offs or knockout phase where encounters between the top eight teams would see two-legged quarter-finals and semi-finals followed by the final to be played on Jan 17, 2009.

Although the matches begin in August, the organisers, according to Taha Alizai, director administration of Sports 360, “would first initiate a talent hunt programme, trials for which will be held at the National Coaching Centre from July 25-27, at the Korangi Baloch Stadium from July 29-30 and at the DHA Ground from Aug 1-3.

“For the purpose of coaching footballers here, we also plan to acquire the services of foreign coaches from abroad,” he said while adding that they have already been negotiating with two Italian coaches regarding the possibility of their visiting here.

Meanwhile, to a question regarding the PLF coinciding with the ongoing Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL), Ali Ata clarified that the PPFL features departmental teams whereas the PLF involved clubs.

Also present on the occasion were PFF officials including Abbas Baloch, Chairman Sindh Football Association, Nasir Karim, Chairman Zonal Football Association, District South, Ali Nawaz Baloch, former national team captain along with various other notable past and present football players.