PepsiCo-Jordan launches PepsiCo Football League for the Gifted

Press release

Published September 14th, 2015 - 05:28 GMT

During the launching

As part of its long-standing partnership with Jordan Football Association (JFA), PepsiCo-Jordan announced the launch of the PepsiCo Football League for the Gifted for the seventh consecutive year, which is scheduled to commence on Friday 9 October 2015. The announcement was made during a press conference held on Sunday 13 September, 2015, at the JFA headquarters and in the presence of Mohammed Arabiyat, PepsiCo-Jordan’s Public Relations Manager, Fadi Zureikat, JFA Secretary General, Mohannad Mahadeen, JFA Marketing and Communications Manager, Ahmad Qteishat, Technical Department Director, and several media representatives.

PepsiCo-Jordan has been sponsoring the PepsiCo Football League for the Gifted since 2009 as part of its ongoing support of the Prince Ali Centers, which have grown to encompass 28 centers today. They are divided into six groups: South, North A, North B, Middle A, Middle B and Jerash, with 56 coaches responsible for training 1120 players of different age groups. Alongside the annual ‘Best Player’ award - which is given at the conclusion of the League - nine new awards will be presented this year, including ‘Best Coach’ and ‘Best Goalkeeper’, among others.

“We are pleased with what the Prince Ali Centers have achieved over the past seven years, for they have actively contributed towards youth’s athletic development, as well as raising their level of competitiveness in the football scene. We are confident that this year’s League will unveil new talents worthy of our support, so they may become the cornerstone of the Jordanian football scene in the future," commented Arabiyat.

In turn, Zureikat expressed his pride in the long-standing partnership between JFA and PepsiCo-Jordan by stating “PepsiCo-Jordan has always been an unwavering partner of JFA, and thanks to its sense of responsibility towards the development of the Jordanian football scene and youth’s athletic talent, we have witnessed together great achievements on the football front. I am proud to say that, since the launch of PepsiCo Football League for the Gifted seven years ago, youth under the age of 13 have been able to join the Centers and receive specialized sports training, especially since this age group has not received similar opportunities before. Furthermore, the League has helped increase the Jordanian player’s peak performance age by 8 years, as it used to be at 23 years old but is now between 17-18 years old. Consequently, this has allowed for better detection of latent sports talents among youth from an early age.”

Background Information

Pepsi Cola International

In 1965, Donald Kendall, the CEO of Pepsi-Cola, and Herman Lay, the CEO of Frito-Lay, recognized what they called “a marriage made in heaven,” a single company delivering perfectly-salty snacks served alongside the best cola on earth. Their vision led to what quickly became one of the world's leading food and beverage companies: PepsiCo.

For more than 50 years, as tastes, trends and lifestyles have changed, PepsiCo has evolved with them. Our willingness to adapt and grow has transformed our snack and soda company into a collection of global brands including Pepsi and Quaker, Gatorade and Tropicana, Frito-Lay and beyond. Today, PepsiCo is one of the world’s most-respected companies with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories and 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.