Champs take the field as Dialog Premier League kicks off

The Dialog Premier League, the country's top football tourney kicked off at the CR & FC grounds recently. The tournament is conducted by the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) and powered by Dialog Telekom, the country's most prominent sponsor of sports. Dialog has been the exclusive sponsor of the tournament since 2003.

Football fans out of Colombo would be in for a treat as the country's best teams in 'Segment A' play their matches in Kandy, Kurunegala, Negombo, Wennappuwa and Kalutara. Kegalle and Gampola would host 'Segment B'. Ratnams Sports Club, Negombo Youth, Saunders and Blue Stars have traditionally been the top performers in the tourney, and the winners have the opportunity to play at the Asian Football Confederation Club Championship.

Nushad Perera, Group Chief Marketing Officer of Dialog Telekom said: "our association with the FFSL and the Premier League has grown in stature over the years, and we are happy to contribute towards the development of the game and its players. Our joint efforts have made the Premier League an enjoyable experience for both players and spectators, and we will continue to power every goal scored in time come."

This year too, Dialog will feature SMS, web and coupon voting to choose the Dialog Premier League's Most Popular Team and Player. Further, football fans could also check the latest results and fixtures by typing DPL and sending SMS to 7777.

Chryshantha Perera, CEO of the FFSL, said: "With the assistance of Dialog we have been able to promote football all over the country, and the players involved look forward to this tournament.

We hope to continue this relationship, to further promote and develop this common man's game in Sri Lanka. Dialog has always come forward to assist us, and I wish to thank them for the support to make this tournament a success."

Dialog Telekom is a prominent sponsor of Sri Lankan Sports and is committed to developing talent in Sri Lanka to international standards. The company is closely associated with school cricket, athletics, rugby, disabled sports, rowing and motor racing and has sponsored several national contingents to the Olympics, Paralympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Asian Athletic Championships and SAF Games.