will take place at the Royal College pool on Saturday the 8^th of February 2025 with almost 50 teams from 15 leading schools in the island nation competing for the coveted Shield.

The tournament was initiated by the Royal College Union Aquatic Club (RCUAC) under the theme “For the Love of the Game” and is now a platform to promote Water polo to younger athletes.

Event Details:

• Venue: Royal College Swimming Pool. Date:8^th February 2025
• Time: Starting at 7.00AM with the finals scheduled for 3:30PM onwards.

Participants:

• Teams:50 teams.
• Athletes: Approximately 600
• Age Groups: U9, 11, 13, 15 &17 Age Group

Participating Teams (15):

• Schools: Bishop’s College, Musaeus College, Ladies’ College, Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo International School, Gateway College, Ananda College, D.S Senanayake College, Thurstan College, Nalanda College, S. Thomas’ College, St. John’s College, Zahira College, Wesley College and Royal College.
• Clubs and Organizations (6): SSC, BCOGA, LCOGA, VVOGA, OTSC, and RCUAC

Referees for the Tournament.

• SLASU Elite Panel of Referees to ensure fair play and high standards in officiating.

Event Highlights:

• U9 & U11 – Nalanda College will look to defend the Junior Title from a resurgent S. Thomas’s College and a dominant Royal College outfit in home conditions.
• U13 & U15 – Bishops College will be a keen contender in the format which was once dominated by Visakha Vidyalaya and Ladies’ College.
• U15 – Wesley College and Thurstan College had many close games last year which were separated by only 1 goal. Both teams will be eager to take an early psychological advantage this year.
• U15 – The Colombo International School Vs Gateway College game will be the first one to be played by both international schools. This is history in the making.
• U17 Matches: Aligned with Sri Lanka’s focus on the U17 Asian Age Group Championships in 2025, preparing athletes for international competitions.

Event Amplifiers:

• DJ and Papare Bands – To bring that big match atmosphere to everyone at the stadium.
• Carnival and Experience centers in the car park– a variety of food, drink, crafts and experience centers catering to the entire family for a fun day out.
• Bake sale – The participating schools will battle for supremacy out of the pool as well in the RCUAC Bake Sale Challenge. Visaka Vidyalaya put on a delicious and eye catching stall last year setting a high bar for the 2025 competition.
• Poster and decorations Competition – The Junior teams will put their best efforts to rise to the challenge this year where Ladies College triumphed with an artistic overall décor in the previous edition.

The sponsors supporting the event are Norfolk Foods, Royal College Batch of 2003, John Keels Office Automation, Fonterra, Red FM, Quadrangle, thepapare, MURC Live, Royal College Photographic society, Lanka Hospitals and Jetwing Hotels.

The 2025 edition of the RCUAC Challenge Shield is set to be bigger than the last and promises exciting match ups and entertainment through the day. The Masters game played between arch Rivals Royal College and S. Thomas’ College truly embodies the spirit of the theme, rekindling old friendships and rivalries that stand the test of time.

For further details please contact the Tournament Director Mr. Ulfath Uwais and Teams Liasson Officer Mr Mishan Kottearachchi from RCUAC on rcuac@rcu.lk.

The post “For the Love of the Game” – RCUAC Challenge Shield appeared first on Newswire.

Zahira College Colombo, one of the Pioneers at school-level rugby in Sri Lanka who started competitively playing the sport in 1924, is all set to return to A Division Rugby in the 2023 Schools Rugby League. 

Moose Clothing has been a valuable contributor in terms of Sponsorship for Sports in Sri Lanka and has come forward to support the A Division Journey of Zahira Rugby 2023 as the Main Sponsor. Apart from them, ROZA from Diamond Best Foods will also be Co-Sponsoring Zahira Rugby this year.

Sports at Zahira has achieved rapid growth over the past few years, and this includes Rugby. Zahira Played Top division Rugby in 2017, 2018, and 2019 and after Playing just one year (2022) in B division they have been able to come back to A Division Rugby.They were unbeaten in League stages last year and ended up as Runners-up in the Premier Trophy. In the recently concluded CR & FC Centenary Rugby Sevens tournament Zahira displayed exceptional prowess on the field beating Vidyartha College, DS Senanayake College, and ended up as runners-up in the Plate Segment.

This year, Adhil Rafeek will captain Zahira’s first XV team with Abdullah Rizvi as Vice-Captain, while the coaching staff will be led by former Sri Lankan rugby player Anuranga Walpola. The team has the full backing of the College administration, including the Principal and the Sports Council. Inzam Irfan will

be the Team Manager and Dinesh Kumara will serve as the team’s trainer and backline coach. Kicking will be overseen by Dev Anand, with Mohamed Nafess serving as an assistant trainer. Dilupa Chathuranga will be the team’s masseur and Sanjeewa will be the team’s physiotherapist. Dr. K D Devapriya will also serve as the official doctor for the Zahira 1st XV Rugby team.

Zahira College is one of four schools in the Island that began Rugby and won the Maiden League title in 1934. It dominated the rugby arena until the 1960s, when it last won the League title in 1962, and it will be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming Schools Rugby League 2023. This year, they will kick off their season on June 24th at Bogambara Stadium with their first match against Dharmaraja College Kandy.

Zahira First XV Rugby Squad for the year 2023 will be as follows

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