The "Nestle Kids Football Fiesta," the largest football event for kids, will kick off on Wednesday, February 22. The four-day tournament will conclude on Saturday, February 25.
Organized by Maldives Soccer Veterans, the tournament is aimed at children in grades one and two.
The teams, consisting of a total of 720 children from 20 schools, were selected on Sunday evening. There will be 40 teams in total, with each grade divided into five groups of four teams. The tournament will feature a total of 296 matches.
"This will be the biggest kids’ football fiesta ever held in the Maldives," said Ali Shameem, a former footballer and one of the organisers of the event.
The event is designed to be inclusive, with no child left out from playing. To ensure this, the tournament has been arranged in a way that allows team members to be split into two squads, with each squad playing two simultaneous games. Shameem said that there will be no players on the bench.
"Previously, the biggest issue raised by parents was that some children were excluded from taking part in the game. As a solution, we have arranged for two simultaneous games to be played by the same team by splitting the team members into two squads," Shameem added.
The tournament will take place at the Henveiru Football Stadium, and the jersey kits for each competing team will be provided by the organizers.
The champion and runner-up teams from each grade will be awarded medals, and each participating student will receive a participation medal.