DHL Express Singapore announced its first ever DHL Singapore Soccer Cup 2006 tournament, that pits corporate teams against one another in the soccer pitch.

This is the first such undertaking by a company here that has orchestrated a hospitality event of this scale to promote soccer to anyone who enjoys the game.

Participating teams include CapitaLand, ExxonMobil, BNP Paribus, SKK, Eagle Services, MMI, Givaudan, and three host teams from DHL in Singapore.

The games, to be played at Turf City, kicked off on 18 March and will be played every Saturday and Sunday over a period of nine weeks. Played in a league format, teams will be divided into two groups to compete for the top two places in each group. These winners will then proceed to the semi-finals and compete again to play in the finals, to be held on 14 May. An Awards Night will also be held on 17 May to celebrate the end of the tournament and present prizes to the winning teams.

"With the FIFA World Cup approaching in June, many fans are no doubt gearing up for the biggest soccer event of the year. What better way to get together a group of people - in this case - our customers to take part in something they enjoy outside of work," said Teo Ser Luck, General Manager, DHL Express Singapore.

DHL's efforts are well appreciated by its clients. SKK, an architectural coating manufacturer, sees its participation in the DHL Singapore Soccer Cup 2006 as a means of galvanizing its employees for the greater good of the company.

"Great teamwork can be built on many hobbies and special interests, and soccer is one of them. We would definitely like to use this experience to learn and practice effective group dynamics, encourage team commitment, collaboration and cooperation, and provide satisfaction in completing something as a team," said Ms Carin Ong of SKK.

Others like ExxonMobil look upon this as an opportunity to fraternize with the soccer community. "We hope to foster greater ties with other football lovers and we feel that the DHL tournament is a good initiative in this direction for people who love the game but who do not play professionally. At the end of the day, we hope to meet and make new friends whom we may not otherwise meet outside of work," said Mr Raimie Bin Sulaiman, of ExxonMobil.

The DHL Singapore Soccer Cup 2006 is in sync with the company-wide initiative to promote healthy living among its employees. Last year, DHL sent a corporate team of over 100 people to participate in the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. Recently, teams comprising some 500 staff from Asia Pacific competed for a spot in an internal World Sports Event to be played in Germany in June, organized by DHL’s parent company Deutsche Post World Net.

Although DHL Express Singapore won the Bronze Award last year at the Singapore Health Awards for best health practices within a corporate environment, it is planning to make its mark in sports, which is inextricably linked to healthy living.

"DHL is interested in sports that emphasize speed, precision and reliability, such as soccer, golf and other endurance sports which are popular with Singaporeans. We not only encourage our employees to be sporty and adopt healthy lifestyles, but also support the national initiative to transform Singapore into a Sports Hub; and it starts with baby steps like these," added Mr Teo.