Geo Super Football League

Last updated
Geo Super League
GeoLeague.jpg
Organising body Pakistan Football Federation
Founded2007
First season2007
Folded2010
Country Pakistan
Confederation AFC
Number of teams5
Last championsKarachi Energy
(2010)
Most championshipsIslamabad United
Karachi Energy
TV partners GEO Super
Website Geo SFL official site

The Geo Super Football League or SFL was the first professional inter-city football league of Pakistan, with support of the Pakistan Football Federation. It was established in 2007 and telecasted live via GEO Super. The SFL ran separate to the Pakistan Premier League. The league did not continue because the organisers and sponsors reportedly did not want to work with the Pakistan Football Federation again. [1]

Contents

In the first two seasons all matches were played in Karachi's Peoples Football Stadium. [2]

History

Geo TV Network and the Pakistan Football Federation came together in 2006 and began work on establishing Pakistan's first national inter-city football league to be televised on GEO Super. [3] The Geo Super Football League (SFL) was created as a way to fuse Pakistan's football talent and to further develop football in the country.

The teams were privately owned and non departmental, they representing Pakistan's major cities. [2] Aspiring stars were selected after a gruelling nationwide scouting actions. Over a hundred matches were held in all the locations in varying weather conditions. Each player was given an ample chance to prove through these matches, which revealed ability to perform. [4]

The league gave live coverage to domestic footballers for the first time. The league attracted large crowds and good level of play was on display for a nationwide audience. However, with a lack of long term support from Pakistan Football Federation, the league was discontinued until summer 2010, when K-Electric stepped in to support the venture with another SFL season and merited a second attempt in 2010. [3] However, the league did not continue because the organisers and sponsors reportedly did not want to work with the Pakistan Football Federation again. The reason was largely because Geo Super conducted it purely for commercial reasons, while the Pakistan Football Federation failed to cash in on it for the long term betterment of football in the country. [3]

Training camps

Thirty players for each of the five teams were tested for their football skills, as well as mental and physical toughness. Individual and team drills with conditioning were the main focus of the training camps, to prepare the teams for their first ever national exposure. [5]

Teams

The league was made up of five teams, representatives of different cities. Each team was composed of national and international players. For the first time the best players of the nation came together under the umbrella of these five cities for the inter-city football league. The names of the teams were the following: [6] [5]

Records & statistics

As of 2 August 2010 [4] [7]

Top scorer

Best player

Best goalkeeper

Results

YearHostWinnerScoreRunners-upLosing semifinalists
(no third place match)
2007
Details
Karachi
Islamabad United
0–0
(a.e.t.)
(4–3 pens.)

Karachi Bazigar
Quetta Zorawar
Lahore Lajpaals F.C.
2010
Details
Karachi
Karachi Energy
1–0
Quetta Zorawar
Islamabad United
Lahore Lajpaals F.C.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football in Pakistan</span>

Football is among the most popular team sports in Pakistan, together with long time number one cricket and field hockey. Pakistan's current top domestic football league is the Pakistan Premier League, formed with sixteen clubs to promote football in the country. The first national league began in 2003 and was immediately recognised by the AFC as the official national football league. Football in general is run by the Pakistan Football Federation.

Muhammad Essa Khan is a Pakistani football manager and former footballer who played as a forward. He is the current head coach of Khan Research Laboratories.

The 2007–08 season is the 53rd season of Pakistan domestic football and the 4th season of the Pakistan Premier League and was held from November 1, 2007, to February 6, 2008, under the auspices of Pakistan Football Federation.

Muhammad Naveed Akram is a Pakistani former footballer who played as a right-back.

Muhammad Rasool is a Pakistani former footballer who played as a forward for the Pakistan national football team.

The 2010–11 Pakistan Premier League for professional association football, was the 7th season of the Pakistan Premier League, since its establishment in 2004, and the 56th season of Pakistan domestic league. The season began on 16 September 2010. Khan Research Laboratories were the defending champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lahore Qalandars</span> Pakistani cricket franchise

Lahore Qalandars is a Pakistani professional cricket franchise which plays in the Pakistan Super League, representing Lahore, the capital city of the Pakistani province of Punjab. The home ground of the team is Gaddafi Stadium. The team is owned by Rana Brothers. The team is currently captained by Shaheen Afridi and coached by Aaqib Javed, a former Pakistani cricketer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karachi Kings</span> Karachi Kings cricket team

Karachi Kings is a Pakistani professional franchise Twenty20 cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team is based in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, and was formed in 2015 by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The team's home ground is the National Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quetta Gladiators</span> Cricket team

Quetta Gladiators is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 cricket franchise that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). They play most home games at the Gaddafi Stadium. The Gladiators won and became the champions in PSL 2019. The team is nominally based in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peshawar Zalmi</span> Cricket team

Peshawar Zalmi is a Pakistani franchise Twenty20 cricket team which plays in the Pakistan Super League and represents Peshawar, the capital city of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The team is owned by Javed Afridi. Peshawar Zalmi was established in 2015 following the announcement of the inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL) by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Babar Azam is the current captain and Daren Sammy is the current head coach of the team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamabad United</span> Islamabad-based franchise cricket team of Pakistan Super League

Islamabad United is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team is based in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, and was formed in 2015 to compete in the first season of the competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Pakistan Super League</span> Cricket tournament

The 2017 Pakistan Super League, was the second season of the Pakistan Super League, a franchise Twenty20 cricket league established by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in 2016. On 19 October 2016, at the 2017 player draft, league chairman Najam Sethi announced that the final of the 2017 tournament might be played in Lahore, Pakistan, depending on the security situation there. The PCB confirmed it was their intention to play the final in Lahore in January 2017 with players being flown into and out of Pakistan during a short window either side of the final. The Umpire Decision Review System (DRS) was used in play-off matches. The defending champions Islamabad United were eliminated in the first Eliminator. The 2017 PSL was broadcast in more than 10 territories. According to Najam Sethi ratings were higher than the previous season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multan Sultans</span> Cricket team

Multan Sultans is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team representing the city of Multan in southern Pakistan in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team was founded in 2017 as an additional sixth team added to the PSL with contract payments of US$41.6 million for eight seasons or US$5.2 million per season. Since the team was introduced in the Third Season of Pakistan Super League, the team's contract is for eight seasons instead of ten. The team plays its home matches at Multan Cricket Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Pakistan Super League</span> Cricket tournament

The 2018 Pakistan Super League was the third season of the Pakistan Super League, a franchise Twenty20 cricket league which was established by the Pakistan Cricket Board in 2015. It featured six teams, which was the first expansion of the league since its formation in 2015. The group stage took place in the United Arab Emirates, with two playoff matches played in Lahore and the final at the National Stadium, Karachi. The tickets for the final were sold out quickly, within fifteen hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Pakistan Super League</span> Cricket tournament

2019 Pakistan Super League was the fourth season of the Pakistan Super League, a franchise Twenty20 cricket league which was established by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in 2015. The tournament took place from 14 February to 17 March 2019.

The 2020 Pakistan Super League Final was a Twenty20 cricket match played on 17 November 2020 at the National Stadium in Karachi, Pakistan, between the Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars to determine the winner of the 2020 Pakistan Super League (PSL). Karachi Kings defeated the Lahore Qalandars by five wickets to win their maiden PSL title.

Pakistan Super League (PSL) is the highest level of domestic Twenty20 cricket in Pakistan. The league is owned by the Pakistan Cricket Board and its first season was played in 2016. The league, when it started, included five teams: Karachi Kings, Quetta Gladiators, Peshawar Zalmi, Islamabad United, and Lahore Qalandars. The third season of the league in 2018 saw the inclusion of Multan Sultans as the sixth team to compete in the tournament. The league has been organized every year since its first season and all the teams have won the trophy at least once. The first season of the PSL was won by Islamabad United, who were captained by Misbah ul Haq, who was also the captain of the Pakistan national cricket team at that time. Lahore Qalandars are the current champions of the PSL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Pakistan Super League</span> Pakistani domestic franchise cricket tournament

2022 Pakistan Super League was the seventh season of the Pakistan Super League, a franchise Twenty20 cricket league which was established by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in 2015. Played between six teams in a double round robin format with strict COVID-19 protocols, the league began on 27 January 2022 with the first phase taking place in Karachi. The second phase including the playoffs took place in Lahore, with the Final played on 27 February where Lahore Qalandars beat Multan Sultans by 42 runs to win their maiden PSL title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Pakistan Super League</span> Pakistani domestic franchise cricket tournament

2023 Pakistan Super League was the eighth season of the Pakistan Super League, a franchise Twenty20 cricket league which was established by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in 2015. Then PCB chairman Ramiz Raja had hinted at an auction based system to replace the draft for the 2023 season but a draft was retained. The draft for the tournament was held on 15 December in Karachi. A total of 36 foreign players were picked alongside local players. Lahore Qalandars were the defending champions.

Alamgir Ali Khan Ghazi is a Pakistani professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Pakistan Premier League club WAPDA and the Pakistan national team.

References

  1. Sohail, Shahrukh (2020-08-09). "FOOTBALL: A LEAGUE FOR PAKISTAN FOOTBALL". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  2. 1 2 Ahsan, Ali (2011-02-02). "A history of football in Pakistan — Final part". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  3. 1 2 3 Ahsan, Ali (2012-11-13). "Time to scrap the premier league?". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  4. 1 2 3 "History - Super Football League 2010 - Geo Super | geosuper.tv". web.archive.org. 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  5. 1 2 "Super Football League: PFF announces trial schedule". DAWN.COM. 2010-05-16. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  6. "Pakistan - Foundation Dates of Clubs". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  7. "Super Football League 2010 - Geo Super | geosuper.tv". web.archive.org. 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  8. "Top Goal Scorers - Super Football League 2010 - Geo Super | geosuper.tv". web.archive.org. 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  9. 1 2 "Rasool inspires Karachi to SFL glory - Super Football League 2010 - Geo Super | geosuper.tv". web.archive.org. 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2024-07-04.