Kuwait City, Nov 5: Continuing its support of local athletes, Zain has recognized and awarded the top performing players in the first rounds of Dawri Zain’s Premier League and First Division competitions. The recognition came under the company’s partnership with the Kuwait Football Association (KFA).

In a special ceremony at the Zain Innovation Campus (ZINC), the company has presented the ‘Best Player of the Round’ award to the winners in the first six rounds of the Zain Premier League and the first five rounds of the Zain First Division League.

In attendance were SHASHA commentator Hichem Khalsi, Zain Kuwait’s Chief Corporate Affairs and Relations Officer Waleed Al Khashti, KFA Secretary-General Salah Al Qenaei, Head of the Technical Committee Abdulaziz Hamadah, and committee members Hamad Al Enzi and Hussein Hakem.

For the Zain Premier League, Zain has presented the following players with the ‘Best Player of the Round’ award (KD 500): Khaitan SC player Ali Fadhel, winner of the first round; Kuwait SC player Ahmad Al Dhafiri, winner of the second round; Naser SC player Khalid Al Ajaji, winner of the third round; Kuwait SC player Mohammed Dahaam, winner of the fourth round; Shabab SC player Abdullah Al Otaibi, winner of the fifth round, and Kuwait SC player Sami Al Sane, winner of the sixth round.

For the Zain First Division League, the company has presented the following players with the ‘Best Player of the Round’ award (KD 200): Sahel SC player Nasser Al Qahtani, winner of the first round; Tadamun SC player Hamed Al Rashidi, winner of the second round, Yarmouk SC player Abdullah Majaki, winner of the third round; Burgan SC player Farhan Saad, winner of the fourth round; and Sahel SC Salem Al Hajeri, winner of the fifth round.

Before the new season’s kickoff, the Kuwait Football Association formed a special committee to outline the standards and criteria on which the prize winners will be selected. The committee is membered by former international players and experts Abdulaziz Hamadah (committee head), Hamad Al Enzi, Ahmad Mousa, Hussain Hakem, and Hussain Al Mutairi.

Zain remains a strong supporter of local athletes and believes that last season’s prizes contributed to elevating the league’s performance and quality. For this reason, the company has pledged not only to continue this support, but to even add new prize categories to reflect its interest in shouldering the local sports sector.

This season, Zain’s cash prizes for athletes in the top flight are as follows: Player of the Season: KD 10,000, Best Player in the Round: KD 500 (per round), Season’s Top Scorer: KD 5,000, Season’s Top Local Scorer: KD 5000, Season’s Best Goalkeeper: KD 5,000, Season’s Best Coach: KD 3,000, Season’s Rising Star: KD 2,000, and Best Photo of Season: KD 1000. For the Zain First Division League, the company also presents a new Best Player in the Round prize of KD 200 (per round).