By: Mariam Nicholas

The ESLSCA Wolves Ramadan Football Tournament, held from March 13th to 16th, was a multi-university event that brought together students for a series of competitive football matches. 

Organized by the ESLSCA Sports Club along with Mahmoud Allam and Fomel Ayman, student body presidents, the tournament served as a platform to foster unity, break the ice, and encourage friendly competition during the holy month of Ramadan. 

“The event organized by ESLSCA was not only about the prizes, but about breaking the ice between the different universities and gathering everyone together,” said Renada Ayman, a member of the Office of Student Development (OSD). 

According to FHC Sports Reports, friendships that you make in sports carry on for years. It is so important to not only make bonds with your teammates to benefit the team as a whole, but also to carry into your personal life. The endearment and kindness that you endure throughout your first years of playing a sport build as the years follow. 

The tournament took place nightly from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Future FC, where the lively, crowded, and energetic atmosphere created an engaging setting for the participating universities. The event was open to any university willing to collaborate with the ESLSCA Sports Club, on the condition that each team included at least two ESLSCA students, ensuring strong representation from the host university. 

The competition featured teams from various universities, such as New Giza (NGU), American University in Cairo (AUC), Nile University, and Modern Science and Art (MSA), all coming together with the shared goal of competing in the spirit of sportsmanship. 

It was a chance for students to not only showcase their football skills but also connect with peers from different academic institutions, strengthening bonds within the student community. 

“A lot of students attended, whether to play or watch. It was honestly very successful. Many teams joined, and many others wanted to join from different universities, but unfortunately, the slots were already full,” said Talia Naggary, one of the organizers of the Ramadan football tournament. 

There were 18 available slots spread over the three days. To sign up and register a team’s name, participants needed to scan a QR code, which was shared on the ESLSCA’s Sports Instagram page. These QR codes were also printed on flyers that were taped to ESLSCA’s walls and handed out to students around campus. 

“Each team formed their group and submitted their names to the list. Once the list was full, we could no longer accept additional teams,” said Naggary. 

The tournament sponsors were Kellogg’s and Red Bull.  

Kellogg’s provided medals and trophies for the top two teams, rewarding their work and skill on the field. Red Bull kept their energy high, offering refreshing drinks to players throughout the event, helping them stay energized for the intense late-night matches. 

In addition to sponsorship, the tournament was also funded through team entry fees. Each team paid an entry fee of 5000 EGP upon registration, while the overall prize pool was 32,000 EGP. At the end of the tournament, the winning team received the total collected amount as their prize.  

The tournament kicked off with high energy on the first day, where Youssef Khattab’s team delivered a solid performance and claimed the win. Day two kept the competition fierce, with both Hashem Ashraf and Ezz Adel leading their respective teams to victory and earning their spots in the final. 

By the third day, the atmosphere at Future FC’s ground was full of excitement. All eyes were on the final showdown, Adel vs. Ashraf. Most people were betting on Adel’s to take the win, his team had been strong from the start. But in a surprising twist, it was Hashem who stole the spotlight, leading his team to a stunning upset and securing the championship title. 

As the tournament drew to a close, the final matches were filled with intense energy and enthusiasm. The victorious teams celebrated their well-earned wins, but the true success of the event was the unity and connections formed among students from various institutions. 

“The support that each member of the team was giving the other, was on another level it made the game feel even more exciting than usual, in my opinion every challenge the team faced was met by a group effort,” said Mostafa Atef, a student at ESLSCA university. 

The ESLSCA Wolves Ramadan Football Tournament achieved its goal of not just providing a competitive platform but also fostering a sense of community and shared experience that will resonate long after the final whistle. 

“In my opinion it was honestly more than just a game, it was more of a feeling such as excitement feeling as if watching the real game,” said Atef.