K-Electric Girls Football League launched

KARACHI: The 1st K-Electric Girls Football League was launched here on Friday at the KPT Sports Complex with an exhibition match dedicated to young footballer Shahlyla Baloch who died in a road accident late last summer.

The initiative makes K-Electric the first corporate entity in the country to organise an exclusive female football tournament.Col (retd) Younas Changezi, a former footballer and former Balochistan sports minister, graced the opening ceremony as the chief guest.

He appreciated KE’s role in encouraging women’s participation in football, boxing and other popular sports at the grassroots level.“These girls have developed good techniques and all they need now is support and guidance to excel at the international level,” he said.

The former Pakistan captain said other organisations should also come forward to nurture the talent of the promising players.KE is organising the event in collaboration with Naseem Hameed Football Academy.

The former South Asian sprint queen Naseem Hameed said it was heartening to see that a leading corporate organisation had launched an initiative to prepare young girls for international competitions.

The eight teams participating are Naseem Hameed Football Academy, Aga Khan Gymkhana, Young Muslim Women Football Club, Marta Women Football Club, Karachi Kickers Football Academy, Mohsin Gilani Football Academy, Elite Sports Academy and Social Bond.

The event will end on March 26.K-Electric Head of Sports Sustainability Zehra Mehdi appreciated the enthusiasm of the contestants and said; “KE has a strong affiliation with sports and has always been at the forefront to nurture the talents of our youth – providing them with the resources, guidance and inspiration to gain sports-stardom. By organizing the country’s first corporate backed football tournament for women, we are creating a strong platform to harness the potential of these young female footballers.”