Football: Dialog Beach Soccer kicks off in Hambantota

The much-awaited Dialog Beach Soccer Championship 2021 will kick off on the golden beaches of Hambantota on April 3 under the aegis of the sport’s governing body, the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL).

The Dialog Beach Soccer Tourney was originally scheduled to be held in 2020 but was inevitably postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The main aim of this championship is to promote Beach Soccer around the island and to identify and develop new talent for the Sri Lanka Beach Soccer National squad. 

This will be the first of four beach soccer championships with tournaments to be played in Vevetithurai, Kalmunei and Negombo tentatively.

The first leg of the Dialog Beach Soccer tourney will be played in Hambantota amongst 12 teams namely; Hambantota Kings, Hambantota Hornets, Matara Marines, Matara Eagles, Galle Stallions, Galle Giants, Ambalangoda Titans, Ambalangoda Avengers, Beruwala Blues, Beruwala Lions, Kalutara Royals and Kalutara Knights.

Dialog, who has been a vital part of the success and development of Football in Sri Lanka for so many years has once again joined hands with the FFSL as the title sponsor of the “Beach Soccer Championship 2021” to assist in the further development of the game in the country.

President of the FFSL, Anura De Silva, had this to say regarding the tournament, “Beach Soccer is a game we can really work on and create multiple victories. The game can be a successful one if we make a sustainable strategy with dividends to come about through exposure at an international level. This could also materialize as a tourist attraction for the country by welcoming international events which could be hosted in Sri Lanka. We have some of the most beautiful beaches for tourism which also could be used for Beach Soccer and we have the leverage of being able to train players to perform better as the game is played within a small perimeter and with a fewer number of players on the field, which is technically an added advantage for Sri Lanka.”

“I wish to thank the efforts put in by the Futsal and Beach Soccer Committee of FFSL and wish all the teams the very best in the championship. Appreciation also should go out to Dialog for the support given to developing sports in the country and especially for their commitment to football over the years,” concluded De Silva.

Futsal and Beach Soccer Committee Chairman, Mohamed Rameez, proudly stated, “It is a great moment for the overall development of Football in Sri Lanka. Our country has always had great potential to play Beach Soccer, and finally, we are taking strides to achieve this. We will use these tournaments to identify top talent in Beach Soccer and to create a Sri Lanka Beach Soccer National Team worthy of competing in an international arena while promoting the game of Beach Soccer island-wide. I would like to sincerely thank Dialog for coming on board this journey with us and for once again helping the development of Football in Sri Lanka.”

“Dialog is proud to be associated with the FFSL to kick-start a sport much loved by Sri Lankans that has taken a back seat owing to the COVID-19 global pandemic,” Harsha Samaranayake, Senior General Manager – Brand and Media, Group Marketing of Dialog Axiata PLC said.

“Football is by far the most followed sport in the world and amalgamating the sport to the sandy beaches around Sri Lanka is an obvious choice to develop the sport and it’s an excellent opportunity for the Sri Lanka youth to reengage with sports. I wish the Dialog Beach Soccer Championship for a successful tourney,” Samaranayake further said.