Standard Chartered Bank brings ‘Road to Anfield’ to Sri Lanka

Wednesday, 21 January 2015 00:12 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

For the very first time in Sri Lanka, football enthusiasts will be afforded the Liverpool Football Club experience. Standard Chartered is launching an international five-a-side football tournament known as the Standard Chartered Trophy – ‘The Road to Anfield’, leveraging on its sponsorship of the Liverpool Football Club. Teams play in a qualification tournament in each participating market with the regional winners travelling to Anfield to play on the hallowed turf.

This is a unique opportunity for participants to win a chance at playing on a Premier League pitch. The local tournament, a five-a-side football competition that the bank will be hosting, will be worked off on 7 February on a round robin basis at the Campbell Park grounds, Colombo 08 from 8.30 a.m. onwards. ‘Road to Anfield’, now in its fourth season, will see the participation of 19 markets from across Standard Chartered’s footprint, participating in the regional qualifying tournaments: Botswana, Brunei, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Gambia, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe. A total of 10 winning teams will then represent their country at the Standard Chartered Trophy Finals, to be played at Liverpool’s home ground in Anfield on 8 May. The prize for the regional winners includes a trip to the UK, dinner with Liverpool legends and a chance to participate in a professional training session with the academy’s coaches in preparation for the finals. The champions will receive the Standard Chartered Trophy at Anfield. India and Sri Lanka will participate in the South Asia regional tournament, with the winning team representing the South Asia region at the finals. Selection and zonal rounds will be held in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. Four zonal teams along with the winning team from Sri Lanka will compete in the regional finals to be held in Mumbai on 1 March. More information is available on the bank’s website www.sc.com/lk and official Facebook page.