Etisalat's launches Fantasy Football League

Already a sponsor of the Etisalat Football League, the telco says its latest initiative is aimed at broadening the appeal of the game in a country that has already proven to be football-mad.

The Fantasy Football League allows participants to pick eleven players from a list of current professional players in the Etisalat Football League, and to sign them according to a set budget.

Like their real-life counterparts, managers choose their teams based on players' current and projected performance. The 'Best Manager' award goes to the person whose players perform at the highest level in the actual Etisalat Football League, during the 2007-2008 season.

The Fantasy Football competition will continue till the last week of the current Etisalat Football League season. The 'Best Manager' will attend the Euro 2008 semifinals and final games, courtesy of Etisalat, complete with six days and five nights in Vienna.

There will also be monthly winner in March, April and May, with first-prize winners receiving talk time credit for Dhs5,000, second-prize Dhs3,000 and third-prize Dhs1,000.

'Etisalat has long been associated with some of the most popular football initiatives in the UAE, such as its sponsorship of the UAE Football League since 2005,' said Nasser Bin Obood, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Etisalat. 'The Fantasy Football League reflects the long-term commitment we continue to show to promoting the game in the UAE.'

He added, 'Everyone in this country shared the joy when the national football team won of the Gulf Cup for the first time last year, and we at Etisalat are delighted to have been able to play a part in that great victory. This is a reflection, too, of our commitment to the UAE and to all of our customers.'

Bin Obood pointed out that Etisalat has launched a number of other initiatives for football fans in the UAE and beyond, including a recently-launched interactive website.

Etisalat will also be providing more ways for customers can access games, scores, team rankings and more, through SMS, MMS, Mobile TV and the popular mobile & web portal Weyak. These will also enable enthusiasts to access matches, highlights, funny moments and SMS alerts of match times and venues.