In the final week of the Dubai group stages of duFC’s official UAE Schools & Streets Cups, teams battled it out in their final efforts to top their groups and get one step closer to the du Football Champions Finals.
In the nation’s only international scouting tournament, LaLiga scouts were also on the lookout for the top footballers who will go through a series of trials for the chance to be invited to join the du LaLiga High Performance Centre.
Speaking about the outpour of interest from youth in Dubai, Abdulwahed Juma, Executive Vice President of Brand and Corporate Communications, du, said, “It is great to see so many young footballers in Dubai pursuing their football aspirations through this platform. Youth development is high on our agenda and with duFC we are able to give youth across the UAE a clear pathway towards a pro-football career, which in just two years has already started to bear fruits with talents from previous seasons catching the eyes of international clubs and team and earning trials not only at LaLiga clubs but with the national teams of their countries.”
UAE Schools Cup
The level of play demonstrated by the boys from DESC was sensational. They played with demeanor, intelligence, skill and speed to breeze past their opponents and make it through in the U16 and U14 categories.
Commenting on the play coach Paul Barratt from DESC said, “We are extremely excited to be back taking part in the DU Football Championship again this year. Our students enjoy challenging themselves in different environments and situations which the DU tournament certainly allows us to do. The opportunity for our students to sample different tactics and styles of play from across UAE during the competition is vital in the players long term development. We look forward to a positive run in the tournament and reaching the finals at Dubai Mall would be another superb achievement for all involved with DESC football.”
Joining them in the U16 category is Dubai national school al Barsha and Al Watan Al Arabi, while in the U14 category they will be joined by National Charity School and Deira International School among others. The young boys in the U12 category demonstrated the value of extending the tournament to include their category, playing like true professionals, with speed, stamina and great team spirit. Teams moving forward include New Academy School, Dubai National School Al Twar and Adab Iranian School.
UAE Streets Cup
It was an intense day of matches on the pitches of the UAE Streets Cups as young boys came out in droves to play their favorite sport and earn a trial at the du LaLiga HPC.
In the U16 category moving forward include Fedoras United, Tomato FC and Al Nujoom.
In the U14 category, teams moving forward include Titans and FC PREDATORS.
Top Talents
With the addition of U14 and U12 categories to the Streets Cup this season, boys between the ages of 9 to16 across the nation have every opportunity to play football and get discovered for pro-football careers.
With the final nationwide trials for the du LaLiga HPC taking place in Dubai in April, players were showing off their best skills to catch the attention of LaLiga scouts. Top players this week include U12 players Ted Hadkinson, Bejay Boeck and Adnan Athar, while Luis Dunn’s Jad Smaira caught the eyes of the scouts in the U14 category.