National School League
 | |
| Abbreviation | NSL |
|---|---|
| First event | 23rd May 2014 |
| Occur every | Year |
| Purpose | Promote Youth Sports |
| Headquarters |
 Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Organiser | Sport360 |
| Website | Sport360 |
The National School League (NSL) is a nationwide youth sport program developed by Sport 360 that spans multiple sports. It aims to promote youth sports by forming official leagues, and through increased media coverage.
Cricket
Overview
The league was endorsed by the Emirates Cricket Board, entry for schools opened and the league was successful in attaining the required number of teams. A dedicated website was created to provide a variety of media coverage through an online platform. The first match began on the 17th of October 2014[1] with the grand final taking place on the 14th of February 2015.
Preceding the start of the league was a press conference[2] held at the ICC Global Academy, with invitations sent out to all of the schools participating.[3] It was led by title sponsors Unilever and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, David East the chief of the Emirates Cricket Board, Michael Chalhoub CEO of Sport 360 and several high-ranking members of the ICC Academy.
General numeric data for 2014/2015
- 29 schools
- 42 teams
- 315 players for U13
- 315 players for U15
Locations for 2014/2015
- ICC Global Academy
- The Sevens Stadium
- Sharjah Cricket Stadium
- Skyline University College
- Al Dhaid Cricket Village
- Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium nursery ovals
Format
The format is similar to the Indian Premier League system in which the teams play a round-robin phase followed by a round of 16 straight knockout phase.
Regions consisted of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Dubai group 1, and Dubai group 2.
The round robin tournament was region specific. Group leaders at the end of the stage would have a bye through the first round of playoffs with second and third place from the round robin tournament playing again to decide progression.
After the first stage of playoffs, the group leaders would play the progressing team in the quarterfinal. Dubai was an exception, with the quarterfinal crossing over the teams due to having two groups.
Semifinals were cross regional and used a random ballot draw[4] to decide which teams would play against each other for a spot in the Grand final.
The ICC Global Academy hosted the quarterfinals, semifinals and final matches.
Notable players of 2014/2015 season
Batsman
| Name | School | Matches | Innings | NO | 100’s | 50’s | 4’s | 6’s | HS | Runs | Average | BF | S/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Fazal (U13) | Emirates Future International School | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 32 | 0 | 75 | 284 | 56.80 | 187 | 151.87 |
| Aryan Lakra (U13) | Delhi Private School | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 31 | 0 | 69 | 264 | 66.00 | 199 | 132.66 |
| Jonathan Figy John (U15) | Abu Dhabi Indian School | 8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 29 | 1 | 75 | 258 | 43.00 | 243 | 106.17 |
 Muhammad Shahdad (U15) | Wellington International School | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 1 | 64 | 223 | 55.75 | 215 | 103.72 |
Bowlers
| Name | School | Matches | BB | M | R | W | 5WI | 10WM | BBI | Average | S/R | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Varun Ravi (U13) | GEMS Modern Academy | 6 | 106 | 2 | 67 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 4/1 | 5.58 | 8.83 | 3.79 | |
| Aryan Lakra (U13) | Delhi Private School | 6 | 96 | 2 | 72 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 4/17 | 6.55 | 8.73 | 4.50 | |
| Abhishek Prakash (U15) | Abu Dhabi Indian School | 9 | 144 | 0 | 141 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 4/17 | 11.75 | 12.00 | 5.88 | |
| Menon Devnath (U15) | Delhi Private School Sharjah | 7 | 138 | 1 | 75 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 3/12 | 6.25 | 11.50 | 3.26 |
Gallery
Basketball
Overview
Basketball was the second sport picked up by the National School League due to popularity in the youth population. The League was endorsed by the UAE Basketball Association[5] in order for it to be recognized as legitimate and following all necessary rules and regulations.
The League began on the 16th of May[6] with the final on the 6th of June. [7]
The aim of the league is to promote a healthy lifestyle in youth residing in the UAE and to initiate a grassroots system looking to uncover sporting talent in the region.[8]
Winners
U14
Delhi Private School Sharjah
U16
Victoria International School Sharjah
General Numeric Data for 2015
- 36 Teams
- 380 Players
Locations
- Victoria International School Sharjah
- New York University Abu Dhabi
- GEMS Wellington Academy
League Format
Region specific round robin tournament format, followed by a straight knockout series with regions mixed.
Notable players of 2015 Season
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Blocks | Assists | Steals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ainul Abid Nazar (U14) | 80 | 35 | 0 | 4 | 15 |
 Brandon James Chan (U14) | 80 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 14 |
 Hashim Hazeem (U16) | 100 | 82 | 19 | 6 | 2 |
Gallery
References
- ↑ "First day article". Sport360. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ "NSL Cricket press conference article". Sport360. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ "Video showing presence of children at press conference". Sport360. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ "Video of random ballot draw". Sport360. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ "Article with UAE Basketball Association technical director". Sport360. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- ↑ "Article with general overview and dates". Sport360. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- ↑ "Article regarding entire season". Sport360. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- ↑ "Article regarding grassroots and talent scouting". Sport360. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
See also
- Sport 360
- FIT Awards
- Middle East Golf Awards
- Sports Industry Awards
- UAE Rugby Player Awards
- National School League: Cricket