Report of the Fifth Season of Persian Football League

Morda 30- Sharivar 8, 1398
Shahid Beheshti University football field

Imam Ali Persian Cultural and Sports Club
Establishment of Imam Ali Persian football team

In 1385, Imam Ali Society created a football team in Farahzad, Tehran from deprived families, for which the Persian name was chosen. Since 1385, the Persian team participated in Tehran Municipality League. The team later practiced regularly on even days at the sports field in Farahzad neighborhood, making it one of the leading teams in the first division league of the Northeastern Tehran football board.

This team was able to win the championship in the competition, and the second place in the Ramadan Cup futsal tournament. One of the conditions of this team was the education of the players, which caused the children to continue their education after a while.

Imam Ali Society officially registered the Persian Football Club in the Northeastern football board of Tehran at that time and focused on developing sports activities in different marginalized neighborhoods. Following this, other football teams in other neighborhoods and cities commenced under the name Persian.

The Goals of Establishing Football Teams in the Suburbs and Persian Cultural and Sports Club
After years of presence in marginalized and dilapidated neighborhoods, Imam Ali Popular Student Relief Society decided to develop a special program to change these neighborhoods from high-risk and problematic ones to safe areas for residents and children living there.  Therefore, a comprehensive program has been prepared with the aim of organizing educational, cultural, sports, health, etc. initiatives in these neighborhoods, which will be implemented in various ways in the region, in order to raise the level of literacy and culture of children and families and improve the situation in these areas.

Meanwhile, due to the importance of sports among young people, especially in slum areas where various problems such as addiction, poverty, crime, etc. affect children and adolescents in the neighborhood, sports teams seek to motivate children, provide them with an identity (through the attention paid to them in professional football), and create appropriate patterns instead of destructive ones.

The Goals of Establishing Football Teams in the Suburbs and Persian Cultural and Sports Club
Persian is the first and only professional cultural and sports club for the protection of victims of child labor. The players of the Persian football club are mostly children who are victims of child labor, deprived of education or other children from deprived families supported by Imam Ali Society. Currently, teams from different sports in the Persian club including football, volleyball, basketball, handball, gymnastics, rugby, hockey, swimming, karate, cricket, yoga, darts and wrestling etc., for girls and boys in three categories; young adolescents, adolescents, and young players. Also, all members of the technical staff of the club’s various sports teams are students or university graduates who are members of the Imam Ali Society.

In addition, due to the fact that comprehensive and fair access to sports facilities is one of the rights of children, Persian teams make an effort to help children in the neighborhoods to achieve this important goal by holding football practice.

The Goals of Establishing Football Teams in the Suburbs and Persian Cultural and Sports Club

Therefore, sports team coaches try, along with training football and sports skills, to consider concepts like promoting sports among children, improvement of children’s social relations, helping the recovery process of some players who have quit drugs, teaching sports ethics, and team work.

Fifth Season of Persian Football League
Qualifying (Preliminary)

The fifth round of Persian Football League with the participation of 40 teams consisting of victims of child labor and marginalized children from all over the country in three age groups was held in the summer of 1398 in two qualifying and final stages.

In the qualifying (preliminary) stage, due to the large number of teams and impossibility of all teams to participate in the final stage, the qualifying matches were held in the same way as in other national or international competitions, and the teams were placed in their immediate areas according to the situation. After the round-robin games, the ascending teams from that region were determined. The cities of Tehran, Kerman, Mashhad, Tabriz and the Baloochistan Sarbaz served as the host of the qualifying round.

Fifth Season of Persian Football League
Present Teams in Qualifying Round

Fifth Season of Persian Football League

Final

Game Results

This year’s competition was held in the qualifying round with the participation of 40 teams and in the final round with the participation of 8 teams in the young adolescents’, 8 teams in adolescents’ and 8 teams in the youth category.

In the young adolescents’ category, Amol was the champion team, while Sarbaz team won the second place and Malek Abad and Labe-Khat teams jointly won the third place.

In the adolescents’ category, Kermanshah was the champion team, while Farahzad team won the second place, and the Amol and Sarbaz teams jointly won the third place.

In the youth category, Sarbaz was the team, while Saqez team won the second place, and Yazd team and Darvaze-Ghar jointly won the third place.

Ethical teams and top-goal scorer of each category were also identified.

Financial Report of the Fifth Season of Persian League (1398)
Qualifying Round

Financial Report of the Fifth Season of Persian League (1398)
Qualifying Round

Financial Report of the Fifth Season of Persian League (1398)
Qualifying Round

Financial Report of the Fifth Season of Persian League (1398)

Financial Report of the Fifth Season of Persian League (1398)
Team Equipment

Financial Report of the Fifth Season of Persian League (1398)
Total Expenses

Sports is a safe haven for optimal human growth and perfection, as well as a way to prevent social harm. It plays an important role in social and individual aid among children and adolescents. Meanwhile, football, due to the excitement, energy, work, and its position among children and adolescents encouraged Imam Ali Society to hold the Persian League as a practical and objective model in the structure of sports to make an important step in nurturing children and adolescents, protection of human capital, and reduction of social harms.

In spite of huge problems and difficulties, Imam Ali Society have held this competition in these years. It is questionable and unfortunate that government bodies and sports institutions have giving no support or attention to this desirable practice. Due to financial constraints and limitations in facilities of this people’s institution, costs of holding the competitions, and also low social responsibility of both the nation and the government (institutions and officials), holding this league faced many challenges and obstacles.