Real Madrid footie academy kicks off in Dubai

Real Madrid has launched a football academy in Dubai this week, in tandem with the UAE’s Baniyas Football Club.

Under the European club’s Realmadrid Foundation, the football academy’s opening ceremony on Saturday marked the move to promote a healthy lifestyle through sport.

The Realmadrid Foundation teamed up with Baniyas Investment and Development, the investment arm of Baniyas Football Club, to create an academy targeting youth in the United Arab Emirates.

The ceremony was attended by officials from Baniyas and other academy participants.

In a speech, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Baniyas Football Club’s Investment and Development section, Waleid Gamal Eldien, said: “After the success of the Realmadrid Foundation Football Academy in Abu Dhabi and in response to strong demand, we decided to launch operations for the Academy in Dubai. With the aim of promoting sports values and as an educational instrument in youth development, this new Academy will cater to the needs of the younger generation between the ages of 4 and 17, preparing them towards sporting excellence.”

The announcement comes after the Academy’s successful tenure in the country’s capital, Abu Dhabi.

At the academy, the training on offer centers on the technical, social, educative and moral aspects of football, as well as on field tactical practice, the Realmadrid Foundation said in a statement.

In their bid to prepare local coaches for Dubai’s Realmadrid Foundation academy, the group held a three-day coaches’ training program in the UAE, covering technical and tactical practices.

Those signing up to a 12 week course at the Academy have been given an extra incentive to join: a chance to win a complimentary trip to Madrid to participate in an upcoming football camp in the Spanish city.