PFF and Strawberry Sports Management are jointly bringing city/
franchise based league in which top talent from Pakistan and
international footballers will be in action. Two weeks event is to be
scheduled in last quarter of this year. The inaugural season of the
League is likely to be played in Karachi/Lahore during the last
quarter of 2018. It was shared that top national players have already
been lined up for the League, while PFF is reaching out to players
abroad. The event will see minimum 5 teams named after different
regions of Pakistan including 4 provinces will take part.

PFF expressed its complete support for the League and stressed that it
shall set the direction of football in the country towards talent
development and exposure. Strawberry Sports Management expressed the
desire to hold a variety of pre-event activations for the League to
ensure organic support and ownership for the League.

Shahid Khokhar, Head League Development & Media PFF and Director of
the Classic Football League dubbed the CFL as vital for the promotion
of football in Pakistan “Classic Football League to Play Vital Role in
Promotion of Football” he said

He underscored the importance of sport in building healthy societies
and said “Football is the most popular sport in the world. but
unfortunately, in Pakistan, football couldn’t attain the heights it
could have. There are several reasons for this, including the fact
that Pakistan was unable to adopt the latest measures in the sport”
Shahid said. He expressed delight in the fact that the public is
growing interest in the sport, this is evidenced by the fact that the
number of football fans is on the rise. Talking about CFL, Shahid
praised the model and whole concept, “the franchise based model of the
Classic Football League is popular globally. It allows the
stakeholders to participate in the development of the sport. This also
gives the corporate sector a prominent role” he said. He also assured
full support for the success of the League.

Shehzad Anwer, Technical Director of PFF, also the chairman CFL
selection committee, appreciated the gesture of Strawberry Sports
Management to promote football. He also lauded Haider Ali Daud Khan,
Chairman of CFL, for his efforts in the development of the sport. “PFF has
formed a selection committee based on highly qualified coaches have
been established to select players for the Diamond and Gold and
Emerging Categories”.

Sajjad Mehmood, Director Competition PFF has expressed the
competitiveness of the CFL as the most prominent feature of the event.
“We are having serious deliberations on the timing of CFL as we need
to adjust it with Pakistan Premier League”, but anyway it will be
staged somewhere towards the end of the year 2018” Sajjad Mehmood
revealed about the final dates and timing of the CFL. “CFL will
supplement the PPL and B-Division League” Sajjad added.

Haider Ali Daud Khan Chairman Classic Football League expressed his
gratitude to the Print and Electronic Media fraternity in attendance
and shed light on the various aspects of the league. He had the
opinion that the league will help taking down barriers that have
hindered football in Pakistan to some extent. Haider also elaborated
the details of CFL, “franchise-based model of CFL will prove to be a
boon not only for the players and officials but also for the fans and
various organizations attached to the sport, CFL will play a vital
role in the development of Football” Haider said. In the first year,
there will be minimum 5 teams that will represent the four provinces
of the country. For the purpose of the league, the players have been
divided into three categories. The first of them is the Platinum
category, this includes players who have represented Pakistan at an
international level. The diamond category includes players who have
showcased their skills at the national level. Third & last, Emerging Gold
category will include players who have yet to prove their mettle.

The corporate sector, team owners and sponsors have several beneficial
opportunities in CFL. The league will be managed in conjunction with
modern practices” Haider said concluding his remarks.