At least 11 international football clubs and 400 diverse academies doing yeoman service

DUBAI: Dubai has continued to press further in consolidating its position as a preferred global destination for young sporting talent.

Now housing at least eleven international football clubs who have set up base, Dubai has been a preferred destination for selecting, attracting and developing talented people in various sports disciplines and for all nationalities.

This is in pursuance of the policy laid down by the Government of Dubai while attracting talented people in all spheres of life. This is also in keeping with the drive of the Dubai Sports Council in attracting, developing and hailing the role of the private sector through talented people in various sports, while providing all facilities and legislation supporting the promotion of investment in sports field.

As per latest figures, the number of international football academies hosted by Dubai has increased to eleven of the total 400 sports academies spread throughout the emirate. These academies carry out their training activities to discover and develop young sports talents in varied ages and nationalities in more than 50 diverse sporting disciplines.

Among the most prominent international football clubs that have made Dubai their headquarters for their training academies are Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Barcelona, ​​Ajax Amsterdam, Greek Olympiacos, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Spanish LaLiga, and the Argentine Federation Academy and the latest being AC Milan.

The presence of all these international club academies enhances the attraction of sports talent in light of the presence of work teams and coaches from the best international sports schools in football.

It also confirms Dubai's position as a leading investment destination for international clubs and investment in the sports sector in general. Dubai has continued to attract more sports projects, thanks to its provisions of advanced infrastructure and a dynamic business environment that supports innovation and stimulates creativity.

Dubai is at the forefront of global cities in attracting and developing talent in all fields, as the Dubai Sports Council works according to an integrated policy to achieve this goal to attract and develop sports talent and create future champions in various sports who are raised on scientific foundations and under the supervision of specialized cadres and thoughtful strategies.

These academies also play a vital role in supporting the plans of the Dubai Sports Council to develop sports talent and build an effective partnership with clubs in Dubai in attracting talent and developing technical personnel through contact and sports competition.

It may be recalled that the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) had recently further stepped up its efforts towards sustenance of the sporting grassroots by launching an initiative to qualify and develop the capabilities and potential of coaches working in sports academies operating in the UAE.

The first step in this direction was an action plan with international and local private academies through the launch of specialised training courses under the supervision of sports experts from various international clubs.

Known as the annual agenda for coaching courses for 2024-25, the DSC assembled a gathering of like-minded sports bodies and private international Dubai-based football academies, including the Barcelona Academy, Real Madrid Academy, LaLiga Academy, Ajax Academy and Juventus Academy in the presence of Ahmed Salem Al Muhairi, Director of Sports Development Department, DSC, Adnan Al Ayouni, a senior specialist in football companies and the CBF Football Management Foundation for training cadres and organising events.

The meeting discussed ways and means of working together on a common platform with a united goal while preparing an annual programme of training courses for coaches in coordination with the Dubai Sports Council.