‘Unity Through Football’ seal inaugural Copa Simha
View(s):Unity Through Football, who emerged runners-up of Group ‘C’ next to finalists Renown Football Academy, returned with great vengeance to win the crucial final in a nail-biting final. Both teams advanced to the final with confidence as eventual winners Unity Through Football defeated Gateway College by 3-0, while Renown FA overcame Football Lab Academy by 1-0 in the semi-finals.
Winners - Unity Through Football
Renown FA enjoyed a good run in the initial round of the two-day competition, but failed to live up to their expectations when mattered most. However their star striker Ferdinand Storyberg was named the Most Valuable Player of the competition, while M.S.M. Pisari of Unity Through Football won the award for the Top Goal Scorer. In the third place playoff, Gateway College overcame Football Lab Academy by 1-0.
In the quarter-finals, Unity Through Football defeated Manchester Soccer Academy 3-1, while Renown FA beat Colombo International School by 2-1. Gateway College overcame Wesley College by 2-1 while Football Lab Academy beat Colombo Youth Football by 2-1 to reach the semi-final stage.
Runners-up - Renown Football Academy
From the group stage, Manchester SA topped Group ‘A’ with nine point and advanced to the quarter-finals alongside runners-up Colombo International School, who claimed six points. Hills Football Academy and D.S. Senanayake College failed to advance from the group stage. Wesley College topped Group ‘B’ with nine points and entered the quarters with Football Lab Academy, who claimed six points, while Stafford International School and Rangiri Dambulla NS failed to move ahead.
Overall runners-up Renown FA topped Group ‘C’ with four points, alongside eventual winners Unity Through Football, who also claimed four points to enter the quarters, while without a single point Colombo Kickersz stalled their campaign from the two-day competition. With four points each, Colombo Youth Football topped Group ‘D’, while Gateway College emerged runners-up, with Colombo Athletic and Football Club failed to move ahead.
Most Valuable Player – Ferdinand Storyberg of Renown FA
The inaugural Copa Simha was presented by Lanka Sportreizen (LSR), the country’s leading organisation sporting and sports tourism promoter, who partnered with SingaCup, a Singapore-based youth football advocate, to launch its famed Copa Simha in Sri Lanka. LSR’s first youth sporting initiative, featured competition in the Under-12 Boys Category.
As an entity that promotes tourism through sports in Sri Lanka, LSR has played a pivotal role in the planning, coordination, and successful execution of major sporting events for nearly two decades. The LSR Colombo Marathon, attracting thousands of local and international long distance runners, Sri Lanka T-Cup Coast-to-Coast Road Cycling Event, Rumble in the Jungle Mountain Bike Championship, and multiple international and domestic surfing events held across Sri Lanka’s coastal belt, are a few events LSR organise, conduct and promote the country through sports tourism on an annual basis.
Top Goal Scorer – M.S.M. Pisari of Unity Through Football
“All these events have been managed to the required international standards with a strong emphasis on professionalism, safety, and positive stakeholder collaboration. Even by hosting Copa Simha, LSR followed the same protocols and standards, to meet the criteria of our partners, SingaCup of Singapore and the country’s football federation, who are very supportive to this cause,” stated Thilak Weerasinghe, the Chairman of Lanka Sportreizen.
“This is an initiative made in 2011 in Singapore and this year is our 16th edition. Football is a sport that has no boundaries and open to any person, help form new friendship and unite different communities. This is a partnership that could grow to become a fruitful one, productive and beneficial for the young athletes who will become part of this,” Selvakumar Panneerselvam, the Managing Director of SingaCup.
Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
The SingaCup is one of the annual and main sporting attractions in Singapore, a country that has already gained fame and recognition for hosting the Singapore F1, World Rugby 7s Series, Singapore Triathlon and Singapore Table Tennis Smash. The SingaCup has gained the same recognition as any other international sporting event hosted by Singapore, for helping young footballers shape their talents and reach international standards with the exposure it provides.
After its success following the inaugural edition, Copa Simha will now become part of LSR’s annual sports calendar. The Under-12 Boys Football Tournament was designed to provide young athletes with valuable international exposure, competitive match play, and opportunities for cross-cultural engagement.