duFC event to unearth talent

Dubai - In its first eight weeks, du Football Champions has attracted over 4,000 youth participants.

Ground-breaking initiative, du High Performance Centre, partnering with La Liga and supported by Knowledge and Human Development Authority and Dubai Sports Council was launched on Thursday.
This new training centre will be La Liga's first ever global initiative and will become the training ground for future national, regional and international pro-footballers who are scouted through the du Football Champions platform.
In its first eight weeks, du Football Champions has attracted over 4,000 youth participants in Abu Dhabi and Northern Emirates with over 2,000 lined up to play in Dubai alone.
More than 60 players are taking part in the programme and 20 will be finalised who will travel to Spain. The group will spend 20 days in Spain and will play matches against top La Liga clubs. It will be a unique experiences for the boys which will go a long way to shape their futures.
The announcement was made at a Press conference in Dubai which was attended by Fahad Al Hassawi, chief commercial officer du, Ali Omar, director of sports development at Dubai Sports Council (DSC); Mouza Al Suwaidi, chief of engagement at the KHDA; Abdallah Madhoun, regional marketing director Chevrolet ME; Fernando Sanz, general director La Liga, Mena; Michel Salgado, director of du Football Champions and Hussein Murad, CEO Inspiratus.
Speaking to the media, Michel Salgado said, "We have seen some fantastic play over the past weeks in Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates and are excited about the talents we have spotted. We look forward to seeing what the youth of Dubai have to offer. To be able to provide these kids with a once in a lifetime opportunity to pursue an international football career is indeed a very exciting initiative to be a part of.
"The UAE and Spain share the same values and we want to educate our youth. This project will help us to find some hidden talent in the UAE."
Speaking on the occasion Fahad said, "The du Football Champions initiative enables all the youth of the UAE to pursue their passion for football and through the du High Performance Center to enable their continuous development to create a pipeline of professional football players in the UAE."
Omar said, "We are proud to be here today to endorse a home-gown initiative for our youth, executed to world-class standards, that harnesses their sporting and cultural talents and aptitudes and opens doors for them for permanent careers in sports locally and internationally, through offering a unique scouting platform, in partnership with La Liga."
Mouza said: "Being physically active and taking part in sports at school has a positive effect on the overall wellbeing of students. They are likely to attain better academically as physical activity has also been linked to improved classroom behaviour."
Fernando said, "The interest from the youth across the UAE for duFC's School and Streets Cups is incredible."
The Dubai round kicks off on Saturday at The Sevens following the official draw by the technical committee of duFC, which announced the format of play and Dubai group formations for UAE Schools Cup and the UAE Streets Cup.
liaqat@khaleejtimes.com