Dubai: An all-star team of footballers will play 24 teams for 24 hours next month to raise funds for the conservation of endangered sea turtles and other marine life in UAE waters.

The Oceans 24-Hour Football Challenge will take place on November 23-24 in Dubai Sports City.

The initiative is being organised by the Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF) in partnership with PICO and GoFor24.

All funds raised at the challenge will be contributed directly to the groundbreaking marine research conducted by EWS-WWF.

The Marine Conservation Programme encompasses crucial projects such as the Gulf Green Turtle Conservation Project, and serves to create a network of marine protected areas with the united support of regional players. Contributing substantially to worldwide ocean conservation efforts, it aims at building resilience to the impacts of climate change.

This latest initiative comes as part of EWS-WWF’s strategy to provide the private sector with an opportunity to demonstrate their corporate commitment to the UAE vision and sustainability goals during the UAE Year of Giving.

Organisations interested in participating in the initiative can visit http://uae.panda.org for details.