LALIGA hands over the legacy of its Dubai academy to Real Madrid

After a decade of fruitful work, LALIGA Academy Dubai—the first of LALIGA’s international academies—is now passing on its legacy to Real Madrid, marking the end of a chapter defined by commitment, growth, and the promotion of sporting values.

From the new season onwards, LALIGA Academy Dubai will operate under the name of the Real Madrid Foundation. This transition represents a natural evolution for a project that has made a lasting impact and will now continue to grow from a new perspective.

Javier Tebas, President of LALIGA, remarked: “Over the past ten years, LALIGA Academy Dubai has been a testament to our commitment to training and to the international growth of Spanish football. We are confident that this new stage with the Real Madrid Foundation will be just as successful, building on the achievements already made.”

Throughout this decade, LALIGA Academy Dubai has helped thousands of young footballers grow—not only in their technical abilities, but also in the values of respect, effort, and fair play that define Spanish football.

Since its inception, LALIGA Academy Dubai has stood out as a pioneering initiative in grassroots football development beyond Spain. A key milestone came in 2022, when the academy surpassed 1,000 enrolled students—a number that continued to rise, underscoring its sustained impact in the region.

The academy’s work has been recognized three times with the gold medal at the SPIA Middle East Awards, which celebrate the region’s best sports projects. The academy was named Best Regional Academy and Best Grassroots Sports Development Project in 2016, 2018, and 2021.

In addition, the Dubai academy hosted strategic initiatives such as the NEXT GEN Draft, driven by LALIGA and EA SPORTS as part of the EA SPORTS FC FUTURES social project. This programme offered young football talents a unique experience combining education, sport, and culture at the heart of the LALIGA ecosystem.

LALIGA will maintain its strong commitment to grassroots football development in the MENA region through its academy in Abu Dhabi, where it will continue to promote initiatives that reinforce its legacy and create new opportunities for future generations. It also remains committed to youth development programmes in other countries in the region, such as Iraq.