16-11-2016
Under the Supervision of the Ministry of Education National Beverage Company Coca-Cola/Cappy Launches “COPA Coca-Cola Palestine – Stage 2” for Boys and Girls
Ramallah – “Al-Ayyam” – The National Beverage Company Coca-Cola/Cappy (NBC) announced the launch of the “Football COPA Coca-Cola Palestine Championship – Stage 2" for juniors comprising football nines for boys and football fives for girls during the first semester 2016/2017 under the supervision of the General Directorate of Student Activities, Department of Sports and Social Activities at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
The first-stage qualifying matches for higher primary stage (7-9 years old boys) were played within the Directorates in participation of their schools based on the number determined by the Ministry. Each team comprises 12 players. On the other hand, the first-stage qualifying matches for girls secondary stage were played within the Directorates in participation of the schools of each directorate in order to select a team to participate in stages 2 and 3 which is going to last till the mid of next month. The championship is applied as one-match knockout.
Imad al-Hindi, NBC General Manager, expressed his appreciation of the active participation of NBC and the Ministry of Education in the various fields, especially sports which led to organizing “COPA Coca-Cola" championship for the eighth consecutive time. He stressed that the company and the Ministry do their best to improve youth, particularly juniors of both boys and girls and to enable them improving their sport skills and showing their talents.
“The championship targets school students of higher primary stage of boys and the secondary stage of girls as we believe that these age categories have much enthusiasm combined with talents and skills requiring care and improvement. The championship also pays attention to the skills of girls, especially in football which is not limited to males as it is a world and popular sport watched by both gender and all age categories with great interest", Mr. al-Hindi added.
Mr. al-Hindi explained that NBC is still looking forward to organizing “COPA Coca-Cola" at the level of Gaza Strip directorates in the coming years and seeking to complete the procedures needed for that sake as NBC believes in the right of Gaza school students to participate in sport competitions that motivate hope and pave the way to become professionals.
Mr. al-Hindi further indicated the high skills of junior boys and girls during the last years wishing luck for all teams participating in the competition. He stressed that NBC management takes care of providing training opportunities for the distinguished players in order to enable them competing seriously in the future at the level of the region and the world.
Aref Asayrah, Head of Sports Section at the Ministry of Education, said that the directorates have finished the logistic preparations and arrangements to carry out the championship on its grass-covered playgrounds. He also thanked NBC for sponsoring the organization of the championship by providing footballs and all sport uniforms of the participating players, referees and coaches, providing water and juice bottles and snacks, and providing transport expenses for stages 2 and 3.
Asayrah added that this championship basically aims at connecting and enhancing relationships between the civil society organizations and the private sector. In addition, the Ministry is committed to its duty to find out and discover sport talented students in order to develop and improve their talents in the championship and to direct them to sport clubs to fulfill their sport desires and have training. This shows the interest of the Ministry and NBC to develop the skills of students and improve the Palestinian sports in general.
Asayrah stressed that the championship matches for this year are played for the first time by teams of nines on grass-covered playgrounds so as to provide all participants with the opportunity to play on such type of playgrounds to the contrary of the previous years as matches were played by teams of fives on asphalt or closed playgrounds.
The matches of “COPA Coca-Cola" will be played according to all international laws, except for the match time. Time of nines-match is twenty minutes per half and five minutes rest between the two halves. In case of draw at the end of full-time, penalties will decide the winner.
Stage 2 is launched today in which all directorates are represented by the school that won stage 1 with the same list of names. Matches will be played by the branches of North A, North B, Middle and South in order to determine the winning school of each branch to qualify for the third and final stage in which the winning schools will participate with the same list of names and new drawing.
As to girls fives, each directorate participated by a team comprising ten players selected before the championship. The championship will be made by dividing the directorates into two groups. Group (A) comprises the directorates of Jenin, Tulkarm, Qabatiya, Tubas, Nablus, South Nablus, Qalqiliya and Salfit while group (B) comprises Ramallah and Al-Bireh, Jerusalem suburbs, Jericho, Bethlehem, North Hebron, Hebron, South Hebron and Yatta. Two teams of each group will qualify to participate in stage 3 with new drawing. Time of five-match is twenty minutes, ten per half and three minutes rest between the two halves. In case of draw at the end of full-time, penalties will decide the winner.
Male and female players were selected according to the standards specified by the organizers of international “COPA Coca-Cola". 150 male schools for comprising 1,800 players and 17 female teams comprising 170 girls participate in the championship this year from all seventeen directorates of the West Bank. Directorates include north directorates comprising Jenin, Qabatiya, Tubas, Tulkarm, Nablus, South Nablus, Qalqiliya and Salfit, middle directorates comprising Jerusalem, Jerusalem suburbs, Ramallah and Al-Bireh, Jericho, and south directorates comprising Bethlehem, Hebron, North Hebron, South Hebron and Yatta.
