Sport360° unveils a first-of-its-kind National School League (NSL) today, marking the beginning of a new chapter for youth cricket in the UAE.
The league, which is backed by the Emirates Cricket Board and Dubai Sports Council, will get under way on October 17.
The NSL will enable students to play cricket in a unified league and offer a platform for boys to be selected for the national team, as well as promote a healthy lifestyle.
It’s been a year to remember so far for UAE cricket, with the national team qualifying for the 2015 World Cup, before playing in the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh in March.
The UAE held its first ICC tournament with the Under-19 World Cup in February before some of the world’s best players showcased their talents in front of packed stadiums for the first leg of the Indian Premier League last April.
Sport360° CEO Michael Chalhoub explained: “We believe that sports need to be promoted and supported at every level; but passion for sports for many, if not all of us, starts at school, where having fun and competing amongst friends sets the stage for how we feel about a sport, a team and even a player.
“Some of us will make sports our profession and our lives, but all of us will engage and participate in what we love in. This is the spirit behind NSL.
“We want to inspire children and support them in their passion; to guide them and help them lead healthier and more active lives from the beginning of their school years and the future.
“The UAE qualified for the 2014 World Twenty20, and next year’s World Cup, and for this success to continue, we need to take the initiative to make the best players shine, starting from grass-root level. Who knows, perhaps one day we will have our own cricket superstar.”
Although there are 57 cricket fields in the UAE and 22 licensed cricket youth academies, there is not one unified national schools programme, tournament or league.
Chalhoub added: “Sport360° is a sports focused company. While we have a leading position in the sports information business we also see it as our mission to help build a strong and vibrant sports community in the UAE. And NSL is one way to achieve that, a concept we plan to extend to other sports in the future.”
Running from October 17 until the final on February 14, 2015, a total of 124 matches will be played on Fridays and Saturdays at the ICC Academy, 7he Sevens (Dubai), Sharjah International Stadium and the Abu Dhabi Cricket Stadium Nursery Ground.
There will be two age-groups – under-13 (15 overs format) and under-15 (T20). Schools will be placed in a group according to their geographical location – Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, Old Dubai, New Dubai and Sharjah and Northern Emirates.
Each team will be guaranteed five matches in the round-robin format. While the winner of each group proceeds to the quarter-finals, the runner-up and third-placed teams will meet in a play-off to determine the final qualifying berth.
The structure of the league is based on the successful IPL format, with each school having its own franchise brand as well as branded kit that will be supplied. Schools will also have the opportunity to practice at the ICC Academy – which will host the finals.
Players and fans can stay up-to-date with live scoring as well as surf the tournament website which will have picture galleries, statistics, interviews and fixtures.
East Springer, former under-19 South African cricketer, and now school sports coordinator at Sport360°, said: “We want to give the children the opportunity to showcase their talent on the big stage. The NSL will only help strengthen cricket in the UAE.”
And Will Kitchen, ICC Academy manager, said: “It’s a really positive step forward for cricket in the UAE, particularly with next year’s World Cup; it gives us a fantastic platform at the international level for making a case to have strong development programmes, and this will enable us to do that really successfully.”
Registration is now open. Interested schools, students or parents can email: [email protected] or call 05 22443906 for more details.
