RIFFA Views announced its title sponsorship of the Riffa Views Inter-Gulf Netball Championships to be held on March 7 and 8 at the Bahrain Rugby Club premises in Saar. Seventeen teams from Dubai, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait will attend this year's event in addition to five teams representing Bahrain.
Over 150 matches will be played at the Bahrain Rugby Club's netball courts over the two-day competition. Teams will be divided into four pools for the first stage of the competition to establish rankings. They will then be divided into three pools and play knockout matches as they compete for the Championship Cup, Plate and Bowl.
The Riffa Views Championship Cup Final and the Invitational Cup final will conclude the tournament on March 8.
The Bahrain Netball League will host this 22nd annual tournament for the first time since the Bahrain 'A' team last won the competition in 1999.
The championship is the only international platform for netball in the Middle East and attracts over 300 of the best players from around the Gulf region for two days of highly competitive play.
For the first time in the 22-year history of the tournament, this event will host a 'Talent and Performance' team of up-and-coming players from the UK who will compete in a special part of the tournament called the 'Invitational Cup' in which they will play against the eight top-seeded teams from last year's competition.
"Our partnership with Riffa Views has been critical for us to be able to stage this event and achieve the plans that we have put into place for a great weekend of netball. The inclusion of the 'Talent and Performance' team from the UK and the attendance of two 'All England Netball' umpires will certainly set a new standard for the tournament," said Bahrain Netball League chairwoman Kate Knapton.
"By hosting this event we can enter more Bahrain teams. We have many talented junior players including Bahraini nationals coming through the ranks and who would not be able to travel abroad. This tournament will be a fantastic experience for them. The championships will allow us to develop netball in Bahrain at a grass-roots level and will allow youngsters to mature as netball players," Knapton said.
"Our title sponsorship of the championships comes as part of our commitment to establish a platform that enables further development of sports in Bahrain. We are setting the foundations for local talent to grow and excel in different sports. We are excited since this is the first women's event we have supported and we want to make it a huge success," said Riffa Views chief executive officer Richard Browning.
"The Invitational Cup final will be a dream match to watch. We can't wait to see the best team in the Gulf region take on the 'Talent and Performance' team from the UK. We'll finally get a chance to see how our best Gulf players cope on a truly international level," said Bahrain Netball League event manager Michaela Milne.
