20 teams in SAGT trophy at EFLI’s UF Tournament
University Flag Football Tournament for the SAGT trophy will take
place for the 3rd year on the 4th and 5th of June 2016 at Race Course
grounds from 9 am onwards. This year the tournament will be contested by
university teams from Colombo, Jaffna and Rajarata.
Extending its support for the second year running towards the event,
South Asia Gateway Terminals Limited (SAGT), one of the largest
operators in the Port of Colombo and ranked No.1 in South Asia and No.4
in the world for terminal productivity, comes forward as the Platinum
sponsor for the 2016 tournaments.
American Football in Sri Lanka is a game that has emerged to be very
popular amongst the youth in many parts of the country. It is a sport
that draws many parallels with rugby and was introduced to the country
with the objective of giving Sri Lankan youth the opportunity take part
and excel in another exciting sport. American Football was first
introduced to Sri Lanka in 2011 by EFLI – Sri Lanka (Elite Football
League of India).
“EFLI Sri Lanka is please to bring you the University Flag Football
tournament for the 3rd year. This year the tournament will see the
participation of 20 teams which certainly demonstrates how the game has
evolvedsince its introduction in the country in 2011. American Football
has received unprecedented enthusiasm and a phenomenal response by both
spectators and participants in Sri Lanka, which in most encouraging and
we look forward to seeing the game develop and proposer in years to
come,” stated Mr. Dilroy Fernando, Director EFLI – Sri Lanka.
The University Flag Football Tournament follows a full-gear contact
(tackling) tournament organized by EFLI which took place at the end of
last year with the participation of teams from Colombo, Jaffna and
Rajarata. An international team from the UAE, EAFL (Emirates American
Football League) Falcons toured and played against Colombo Lions in
April this year.
EFLI- Sri Lanka will also organize another contact (tackling)
tournament during the latter part of this year with teams from Colombo,
Jaffna, Rajarata and Saudi Arabia.
EFLI – the first professional American football league in India – was
launched in Sri Lanka in 2011, as part of its plan to expand and
introduce the sport into the South Asian region. Since then the
organisation has conducted numerous tournaments and training events for
both local and international teams.
‘Team SAGT is pleased to partner with the EFLI in taking flag
Football to all parts of the Nation. SAGT is committed in developing the
youth of Sri Lanka and it’s our belief that Team sports play an integral
part in developing the next generation of leaders. The sport is
associated with Agility, Speed, Explosive Strength, Resilience, Team
work and Adaptability. All the key ingredients required to produce good
Citizens, both on and off the field.’
American Football has surpassed baseball as one of the most watched
sport in USA and shortlisted for the Olympics in 2020 in Japan. Since
its introduction in Sri Lanka the game has changed the sporting
landscape and has gained momentum especially amongst the universities in
Colombo, Jaffna, Kandy, Uva and Rajarata. As a result of its strong
appeal amongst the youth, EFLI plans to introduce the American Football
at school levels as well in the future.
For more information contact
Dilroy Fernando
No. 18, Daya Road,
Colombo 6
Tel: + 94 777 360 878
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.eflisrilanka.com
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