KUWAIT: Zain held a special Excellence Awards ceremony to recognize the top athletes in the recently concluded 2022-2023 football season of the Zain Premier League (Dawri Zain). During the event, the very best players were recognized on stage after being selected by the technical committee for their top performance, wining them the affection of fans and the wider local sports community. The special event was held at the St Regis Hotel, attended by Kuwait Football Association Chairman Abdullah Al Shaheen, Zain Kuwait Chief Corporate Affairs and Relations Officer Waleed Al Khashti, and members of the local sports community and local and regional sports journalists.
During the ceremony, Zain and the KFA took to the stage to celebrate and award the top performers of the 2022-2023 season with the cash prizes announced at the season’s kick-off last year. The recognition came after the technical committee officially announced the winners on-stage, after which they were presented with a total of KD 30,000 as cash prizes. In addition to the above awards, Zain also presented a weekly Player of the Round Award of KD 500 that started with the ninth week. These prizes came to reflect Zain’s keenness in recognizing those athletes who pursued excellence and elevated the league’s performance.
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A special committee was formed in coordination with the Kuwait Football Association to outline the standards and criteria on which the winners were selected. The committee is membered by former Kuwaiti international players Saad Al Houti (as the committee’s head), Wael Sulaiman, Osama Hussain, and Mohammed Benyaan, who were all recognized on stage by Zain during the event for their efforts in selecting the winners throughout the season. During the event, Zain also awarded the top three winners of the Zain Fantasy League for the 2022-2023 season.
The online competition was kicked-off by Zain last year to bring local sports to the digital scene, and since featured the registration of near 5000 players. The winners are: first place winner Abdullah Almatrouk (KD 5000), second place winner Mohammed Alqallaf (KD 3500), and third place winner Thamer Al Hajeri (KD 1500). With this spectacular awards ceremony, Zain has successfully concluded the first season under its official sponsorship of the KFA’s competitions for the 2022-2026 seasons, which includes the Kuwait Premier League (Dawri Zain), the Zain First Division League, HH the Amir’s Cup, H.H. the Crown Prince’s Cup, and the KFA Cup (Zain Cup).
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Zain’s role centered around three main areas: supporting athletes with cash prizes, launching social events and interacting with fans at stadiums, and the first-ever Fantasy Football League in Kuwaiti football’s history. These contributions and more went in line with the KFA’s vision to further enrich the local football scene, given that it is the most beloved sports among Kuwaitis.
Zain firmly believe that the private sector has a vital and active role in developing the local sports and youth sectors, and it makes this belief a reality by sponsoring and supporting some of the biggest sports programs in the nation. This partnership with Kuwait’s top football competition comes to strengthen the leadership role Zain plays in the local sports scene and is perfectly in line with the company’s sustainability and social responsibility strategy towards the sports and youth sectors.