Sports | Thursday 12 February, 2015 2:46 pm |

Reflecting the brand’s strong commitment to support local sporting events, Abu Dhabi-based Al Ain Water has announced it is the official co-sponsor of the Emirates Cricket Board’s ‘Emirati Development Program’. This new initiative aims at honing cricketing skills of promising young talent across the country, and marks another step in the brand’s efforts to increase involvement with local communities. Al Ain Water is a key product in Agthia’s Consumer Business Division portfolio.

The ‘Emirati Development Program’, which is targeted at children in the age group of 8 to 13, will focus on identifying and nurturing cricketing talent among the Emirati youth in the UAE. As a part of the agreement, Al Ain Water is the title sponsor the UAE National Under-19 tournament, as well as is the official beverage sponsor of the Emirates Cricket Board.

Speaking about the partnership, Mr. Fasahat Beg – Executive Vice President, Consumer Business Division, Agthia Group (PJSC) said, “We are proud to be associated with the Emirates Cricket Board, and play an active role in encouraging and honing the cricketing skills of Emiratis across the nation. As part of the program, Al-Ain water in conjunction with ECB will look at identifying local players and developing their skills from the grassroots levels. We also eagerly look forward to an exciting season as the UAE Cricket Team prepares for the ICC World Cup 2015. Agthia always takes a keen interest in sports in the UAE and looks at encouraging budding sporting talent across the UAE”


Emirates Cricket Board Chief Executive Officer, David East, said, “This sponsorship with Al Ain Water and parent company Agthia is the foundation for change within the Emirates Cricket Board.  The Emirati Development Program has been created to build on the base of expatriate players and unearth Emirati talent, which will be fostered within our development pathway.  We are confident that with this type of support, the game of cricket amongst the Emirati population will grow and allow us to build sustainability within the UAE of this immensely popular and global game.”

The ‘Emirati Development Program’ will be divided in three phases with the first phase beginning in September 2015 in Al-Ain and will involve around 300 students from 5 schools across Al-Ain. The second phase of the program, which begins in 2016, will involve 600 students from 10 schools across Al Ain and Abu Dhabi. The third and final phase, commencing 2017, will involve around 1000 students from 15 schools across Al Ain, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.