Coca-Cola has kicked-off the Copa Coca Cola in The Kingdom, the world’s largest grassroots football program owned by a brand, in its 27th year with a global campaign that champions an active healthy lifestyle and encourages values such as team spirit, friendship and respect.

The free tournament is open to teens between the ages of 13 and 15 years old, and will be held in 3 Saudi cities – Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.

This is the fourth year that Copa Coca-Cola has invited teams from around the country to play in a series of local round robin tournaments and one national final in Riyadh on March 28.

Copa, the Spanish word for “cup”, is implemented in partnership with organizations including governments and football federations and follows FIFA guidelines and regulations for youth football.

The international football tournament will give teens across Saudi Arabia the chance to join over 1.3 million teenagers from more than 60 countries taking part in Copa Coca-Cola and gain valuable skills both on and off the pitch.

During 2015, Copa Coca-Cola will ask the question “Which Part Will You Play?” to motivate teenagers and their supporters to celebrate footballing passion and recognize the important, complementary roles that form a successful team, said a senior official.

"We’re thrilled to kick-off Copa Coca Cola this season and are looking forward to watching some incredible talent and hearing inspiring stories from future Copa legends," stated Antoine Tayyar, the director of Public Affairs and Communication at The Coca-Cola Company.

"Working closely with partners who have experienced the unique spirit of Copa Coca-Cola, this year’s tournament will recognize the contributions of all players who are the real stars on the pitch while championing parents, coaches, schools and associations who are helping teens achieve their dreams every day," he added.

Mustafa Agha, the head of MBC Sports and Copa Coca-Cola Ambassador, said it was a fantastic way for teens across Saudi to get involved with a great sport.

"I love seeing so many young people working together and sharing their love of football with the world. I look forward to seeing the teams play throughout the season," he added.

On the tournament, Abdullah Arrak, Coca-Cola Bottling Company Saudi Arabia said: “Copa Coca-Cola continues to provide a great platform for Saudi Arabia to show the world how passionate we are about football. Since 1993, Coca-Cola has been refreshing The Kingdom and is committed to continue to serve the community.”
 
The iconic tournament originated in Bulawayo in Zimbabwe in 1989, when Coca-Cola partnered with National Association of School Heads to host a tournament with teams competing from the country’s 10 provinces.

Now named after Mexico’s 1998 football tournament, Copa Coca-Cola was born and bred in Africa, with the aim of supporting the development of budding grassroots talent and the adoption of active, healthy lifestyles among passionate young people.

Players from around the world will hope to be selected for the Copa Coca-Cola International Camp in Germany in July 2015.

Last year's camp was held for the first time in Sao Paulo, Brazil and gave 128 teens from 28 countries the chance to travel to the spiritual home of football and develop skills under the guidance of experts including FIFA World Cup winner Bebeto, watch the opening match of the 2014 Fifa World Cup and together create a legacy through a community pitch that can be enjoyed for years to come by future Brazilian talent.

For 2015, eight current and former Copa Coca-Cola players have been chosen as international ambassadors who will share their stories and experiences of Copa Coca-Cola through a series of video episodes, out-of-home advertisements and bespoke merchandise and content.

The ambassadors will feature regularly on the Copa Coca-Cola 2015 microsite and across social media channels where they will encourage players across the world to take part in quizzes and other challenges throughout the year to take part in the tournament.-TradeArabia News Service