KARACHI: Diya Women`s Football Club in collaboration with ZU Football Academy and the kind support of several football coaches is opening a football academy for children and especially girls of all ages, starting from age five at the Khayaban-i-Rahat Football Stadium in Defence Housing Authority here from Oct 31.“This is only the first of a chain of academies that we plan to open up shortly. The next one will be set up at Sukkur in mid Nov followed by another one in Khairpur,” informed Diya Club owner and General Secretary Sadia Sheikh, who is also a Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) executive and congress member.

“We are aiming to impart training at the grassroots level for a minimum fee and I am blessed to be getting help in the endeavour from the best of coaches of the likes of Tariq Lutfi, junior coach Mehwish Khan and M. Shamim along with ZU Academy President Rafiq Malik and DPE Sukkur Zulfiqar Abro,” she added.

“With such support, I am hopeful that the talent generated from these academies will also participate in our forthcoming national championship,” she concluded.

All interested players are requested to report to the Khayaban-i-Rahat Stadium from 4.00pm to 6.00pm on Oct 31.