Standard Chartered Friday announced the launch of “Standard Chartered Karachi United Youth League” in Islamabad, after successfully holding the football league in Karachi.

The league is scheduled over three months, from December 2021 to March 2022. This is the first time Standard Chartered is taking this league to a different city.

The objective of taking the “Standard Chartered - Karachi United Youth League” to the twin-cities, is to provide a new platform and opportunities for young football enthusiasts in and around Pakistan’s Capital city, to perform well, prove their competence and win recognition and rewards, sponsored by a globally leading bank.

More than 350 talented boys and girls, living in diverse communities of the region will come together to play more than 70 matches while nurturing their competitive spirits. Over the past four years, the Standard Chartered Karachi United Youth League has successfully engaged over 2800 participants – boys and girls, from Karachi. It has helped develop talent and there are multiple case studies and examples which highlight the teamwork, leadership and volunteerism nurtured among the diverse communities.

The Islamabad league will feature two competitions for Boys; in the Under-14 and Under-16 categories. The format has a group system to qualify for the semi-finals. The Girls’ tournament will be played on a single league basis, with seven girls in each team.

These girls are selected from Standard Chartered Bank’s flagship education programme, Goal, which focuses on enhancing girl empowerment, as well as other football clubs and academies. Official Referees and Match-Commissioners have been appointed to elevate the League’s standard. A total of 73 matches will be played in different locations of Islamabad/Rawalpindi.

Khadija Hashimi, Head, CABM, AME & Country Head, Pakistan, commented:“We at Standard Chartered are excited to fulfil our promise to nurture sustainable socio-economic development and healthy sporting activities for the underserved communities in Pakistan. We believe the league will have a positive cultural impact and support reduction of anti-social tendencies among youth in Islamabad, along with life skills coaching for progressive mindsets.”

Imran Ali, CEO, Karachi United said: “We are extremely excited about expanding the Standard Chartered Karachi United Youth League to the Islamabad region. It will establish the league as a national competition, recognising and training Pakistan’s football stars of the future, while generating tremendous excitement for the players, spectators and fans. We express our gratitude for Standard Chartered for supporting and believing in the talents of our youth and partnering with us to create this resourceful platform and invest on the community at the grassroots level.”