All Pakistan Inter-City Football League 2019 to kick start from 15th April
As many as 30 teams as to vie in the 2019 All Pakistan Inter-City Football League which is all set to roll into action from 15th April and will continue till 3rd May at different venues.
All Pakistan Inter-City Football League will be organized by Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and Islamabad Football Association (IFA) and it will be commencing across Pakistan from 15th April, aimed to promote football at grass-root level and to find new faces in the game.
Former international footballer and Secretary KP Football Association, Basit Kamal while elaborating the newly introduced format meant for the promotion of football in Pakistan, said that Syed Ashfaq Ali Shah led, Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), has decided to involve cities for attaining durable result.
“Our basic aim and objective to involve maximum number of players from the grass-root level so that to promote football in Pakistan. Players born after January 1st, 1998 are eligible to take part in this league. Each team is to be comprised of 20 members and it is mandatory that each team has 16 Under-23 players and four senior players.” Basit Kamal said.
Under the new format trials across Pakistan have already been organized from 8 to 9 April and the training camps for the selected players has also being organized from 10 to 14 April.
As disclosed by Secretary KP Football Association, Basit Kamal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been divided in 7 different regions and each region will have its own team. Peshawar players from Nowshera and Charsadda also took part in the trials, likewise in Mardan players from Swabi and Buner, in Malakand players from Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Swat and Chitral, in Hazara, players from Haripur, Abbottabad, and Manshera, in Kohat players from Hanu, in Bannu players from Lakki Marwat, and in Dera Ismail Khan players from Tank were all eligible to participate in the trials.
He said, 7 teams from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 6 teams from Balochistan, 6 teams from Sindh, 6 teams from Punjab, 2 teams from recently merged tribal districts and 1 team each from Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad would initially play in their respective cities from 15 to 20 April before 2 teams each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, merger tribal districts and 1 team each from Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad would qualify for the final round of the league which is to be played at Jinnah Sports Complex in Islamabad from 22nd April to 3rd May.
Furthermore, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been divided in 2 groups for the Inter-City clash with group-A comprising Kohat, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan and group-B including Peshawar, Mardan, Malakand and Hazara and among them 2 teams would qualify for the final round of the league.
Similarly 2 teams from Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtukhwa, merger tribal district and 1 team each from Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir would play the final round of the league.
