Our Partners

Engro

Karachi, March 17, 2021: Engro Corporation Limited, Pakistan’s premier conglomerate, has become the official sponsor of Karachi United (KU) football team to support community development and social uplift of the country’s talented youth through sports at the grass-root level.

As the official sponsor, Engro will support Karachi United in its efforts to develop football excellence in the country for participation in larger tournaments. The collaboration will also boost KU’s outreach programs and its 11 Centers of Excellence in the inner-city locations, that provide free football coaching, and education and heath assistance to more than 1,000 boys and girls.

Talking about this sponsorship, Ghias Khan, CEO Engro Corporation said, “Engro has always been at the forefront of supporting sports development initiatives as we strive to contribute towards human development goals of Pakistan. Over the years, we have seen the country’s youth become increasingly passionate about football and eager to improve their game skills. We are excited to be a part of this journey with KU and hope to see the KU team creating a strong impression on the global stage with its focus on achieving football excellence.”

Speaking about this partnership, Ali Ata, Director Development, Karachi United said, “We are grateful to Engro Corporation for embarking on this journey of developing football excellence with an extremely talented team. Our goal is to play in various national as well as international tournaments with this team and, thus, this sponsorship helps us in achieving this objective. We are also invested in our community programs and hope that this partnership will also help on that front. We are confident that, following Engro’s lead, more corporates will come forward to support Karachi United and for the promotion of football.”

Formed in 1996 on the lines of top Clubs the world over, Karachi United was set up with the view of providing a platform for achieving football excellence. Now among the country’s premier football teams, KU is dedicated to developing the sport of football by welcoming talented players from across the city/country, irrespective of their age, ethnicity or background.

KU has been instrumental in galvanizing football in Pakistan, with a Men’s and Women’s team, and an Academy under its umbrella. The Women’s’ team, which was a runner-up in last year’s National Women’s Championship (NWC), is currently one of the favorites for this year’s ongoing NWC. The KU Men’s team has also qualified for Pakistan’s top tier football league, the Pakistan Premier League, and will be making its maiden appearance when the event kicks off later in the year. The Academy has won tournaments in China, and bilateral and Tri-Series events in Qatar, which included triumphs over Turkey’s famousFenerbahce club and Qatar’s Aspire Academy’s(U-11s and U-12 teams).

KU also hosts the annual Karachi United Schools Championship, a Youth Program and is involved in various social initiatives across the city as well.

SCB

Standard Chartered – Karachi United Football League concluded at Kings Football Ground, Ayub Park Rawalpindi, by Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan Limited in collaboration with the Karachi United Youth Football Club.

This league was launched in Islamabad in December 2021. Featuring 113 thrilling matches, among 29 teams, it comprised more than 435 young male & female players, who showed great performances, till the vibrant closing ceremony was held recently. Sponsorship of this tournament was a part of Standard Chartered Bank’s resourceful social-development initiative to promote healthy-sporting activities in the country.

The winning team in the girl’s competition was SMURF FC, while the victorious squad in the under-14 boy’s competition was POPO FC. The under-16 boy’s team contest was won by NISHTAR FC. The tournament inspires enthusiastic participation by children hailing from different football clubs and academies from Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Standard Chartered has been sponsoring this league since 2017. Initiated with engaging 600 children from underserved communities, today the tournament has exceeded the headcount to over 3200 children, who have been supported through sports to become productive citizens. Otherwise, many of these youngsters may have been engulfed in self-injurious activities such as violence or drugs.

Khadija Hashimi, Head, CABM, AME & Country Head, of Standard Chartered Pakistan commenting on the sponsorship said, “It is a moment of pride for us to see the growth of the Standard Chartered-Karachi United Youth Football League over the past five years. We launched the league in Islamabad late last year and the response received has been overwhelming. True to its promise, the league has enabled us to create opportunities, build healthy competition and inculcate self-confidence and respect in local communities, whilst breaking barriers across class, genders, and abilities, through sport. We hope that through this effort we can continue to bring a positive change in the society by providing an equal playing field for children across the city.” She added.

Commenting on the league Imran Ali, Director Youth and Community, at Karachi United said: “We must give huge credit to Standard Chartered and its leadership team, for understanding the benefit of such a platform for our youth and communities. We are now witnessing the fruits of this investment on development of children and communities. Some of these players have gone on to represent Pakistan national teams at different levels, whilst others are pursuing higher education and enrolling in coaching programs.”

He further said: “We will leverage these talented players within communities, as role models and future-makers, to strengthen our impact. Through the Liverpool ‘Train the Trainer’ program, we have delivered coaching to over 6000 children, who now understand Liverpool’s coaching philosophy. None of this would have been possible without the continued support of Standard Chartered. We are so grateful to this socially-responsible bank.”

M. I. Industries

M. I. Industries is the official kit sponsor and apparel partner of Karachi United. It is with their support that the teams stand out on the pitch!