Cricket for a Cause is a charitable cricket league in Dubai that has been taking place during Ramadan for the past two years. The league was founded by Ashar Yahya, a high school student at
Dubai College
Dubai College (DC) is a selective entry British school in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Established in 1978, the school caters for students in Years 7 to 13, and is situated in the Al Sufouh area of Dubai. Students prepare for the British GCSE and ...
. The league has a partnership with Cover Drive, an indoor sports facility in Dubai, the venue for the league.
The league is endorsed and supported by Dubai Cares and the IAC.
2015
The inaugural edition of the event took place between the 21st of June 2015 and the 1st of July 2015. 8 teams participated in the event. The format was 6 overs/6 players per side. The teams were placed in 2 groups of 4, and the top 2 teams for each group qualified for the semi-finals. The league was eventually won by Emax.
The league started off successfully, raising 13,300AED for
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares is a UAE-based global philanthropic organization that advocates for children's rights. It was founded on September 19, 2007 by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The organi ...
, the largest charity in Dubai.
Expansion
After the inaugural event was a success, Yahya built a team of 3 to try and increase the money raised for charity in 2016. With the help of Suraj Chablani, Jonathan Lattouf and Jordan Russell, Yahya was able to make the 2016 event even more successful by increasing the number of sponsors, participants, and money generated for charity.
2016
The following year, Yahya wanted to make the event even bigger and had a target of 30,000AED to be raised for Dubai Cares.
16 teams participated in the 2016 edition, double from the previous year. Teams were placed in 4 groups, with the top side from each group qualifying for the semi-finals. The league was eventually won by Ladybird Nursery. By the end of the tournament, Yahya was able to over 40,000AED for Dubai Cares. For his efforts and achievements, Ashar was awarded the "Everyday Heroes" award by
Youth Service America
Youth Service America, or YSA, is a resource center that partners with thousands of organizations committed to increasing the quality and quantity of volunteer opportunities for young people, ages 5-25, to serve locally, nationally, and globally.< ...
2017
The league and its organizers have announced plans to organize another tournament in Ramadan 2017, with the aim of raising 100,000AED for charity. Yahya announced plans to increase the organization team to around 10 people.
In April 2017, Yahya was inducted in Youth Service America's Global Youth Council for his efforts in helping children in developing countries gain access to a quality level of education.
Sponsors
2015-
Pringles
Pringles is an American brand of stackable potato-based crisps. Originally sold by Procter & Gamble (P&G) in 1968 and marketed as "Pringle's Newfangled Potato Chips", the brand was sold in 2012 to the current owner, Kellogg's.
As of 2011, Pri ...
,
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi was ...
, Emax, Madcom, Du
2016- Pringles, Pepsi, Du,
Red Bull
Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austria, Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwid ...
,
Careem
Careem is a Dubai-based super app with operations in over 100 cities, covering 12 countries across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia regions. The company, which was valued at over billion in 2018, became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Uber ...
,
Ladybird Nursery
Coccinellidae () is a widespread family of small beetles ranging in size from . They are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in Great Britain. Some entomologists prefer the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles as they ...
, UniGulf, Danube, Bayt.com, Hale, The Entertainer and UM MENA.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cricket for a Cause
Cricket leagues
Cricket leagues in the United Arab Emirates