Sports | Thursday 17 May, 2018 5:47 am |

The Sharjah Ramadan Football Championship (SRFC), organised by Sharjah Sports Channel, begins tomorrow (Friday) with the largest number of five-a-side teams so far battling for a prize pot worth half a million dirhams.

 

The third edition of the FIFA Futsal tournament features some of the UAE’s strongest clubs in the short-form format from May 18 – June 1, with sixteen adult teams playing in a four-group knockout competition, and – for the first time – four junior (Under-14) sides competing head-to-head.

 

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, the matches, being held at Sharjah Sports Club, will have a mass television audience as Sharjah Sports Channel broadcasts each game, with commentary from expert pundits.

 

The championship’s opening ceremony will take place at Sharjah Sports Club at 10am, followed 30 minutes later by the opening Under-14 match Rich Target vs Wasit, and the senior game, Al Bayan vs Leader Sport.

 

The winner of the senior championship will receive AED 200,000, the losing finalist wins AED 100,000 and third place takes home AED 50,000. In the youth category, AED 50,000 dirhams will be awarded to winner and AED 30,000 to the runners-up. There will also be special prizes for the competition’s highest goal scorer, the Most Valuable Player and the Goalkeeper of the Championship.

 

The tournament is governed by FIFA Futsal rules, based on the league system. 

 

The Sharjah Sports Channel aims to highlight the skills of top local footballers, and maintain the prevalence of sports events throughout the holy month of Ramadan, introducing the audience new professional and talented athletes.