Kia Champ into the Arena kicks off to the cheers hundreds of football enthusiasts

Organized by National Arab Motors (Kia Jordan) and in cooperation with the Greater Amman Municipality, the Kia Champ, into the Arena football tournament kicked off last Friday at the King Abdullah Sports Stadiums in Qwiesmeh, bringing together 123 teams and an average of 720 players from various parts of the Kingdom.

The tournament presents players with the opportunity to attend the 2011 Copa América in Argentina, adding to the intense competitive sprit of the games. So far, the tournament has enjoyed a massive turnout, with a total of 108 games and an impressive 783 goals scored over the first two days. On Sunday evening, the 16^th round of the tournament was concluded, with a total of 8 teams qualifying for the coming round.

Amongst the key players participating in this year's tournament are last year's champion Amin Shuqair Warehouses, the Darak Team, Hamada Restaurant, Dar Al Dawa and Al Mimari. The games are supervised by world-class referees from the Jordanian Football Quintuple Union, with the rules stating that losing teams are disqualified from the first time. The teams qualifying for the 8th round will be segmented by a draw into two groups, with the eventual winners in each group competing in one final showdown.

The Kia Champ into the Arena is organized by Kia Jordan in cooperation with Kia Motors Corporation, which is a Gold Sponsor of the 2011 Copa América. Similar tournaments are organized by select Kia dealers on a global scale so as to allow football enthusiasts the opportunity to practice and enjoy their passion, all the while qualifying to attend the games of some of the most prominent global tournaments. Locally, the tournament's crowned champion will not only attend the 2011 Copa América, but will also represent the Kingdom in a global tournament organized by Kia for its worldwide dealers.

This step comes as part of Kia's ongoing efforts to reinforce its local presence in various parts of the globe, particularly amongst the youth demographic. This endeavor also follows a series of similar initiatives, including one organized in line with the 2008 UEFA Cup and the 2010 World Cup. The company decided to extend its scope of partnerships to South America, where it enjoys a considerable client base that that consumes more than 6 million new cars annually.

The 2011 Copa América will be held between the 1^st and 24^th of July 2011, featuring a total of 10 South American teams, including Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela, in addition to two guest participations by Mexico and Japan. The tournament will take place in various stadiums throughout Argentina, in the cities of Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Cordoba, Salta, Jujuy, San Juan, La Plata and Santa Fe.