5,000 youngsters take part in the UAE Schools & Streets Cup organised by LaLiga

The second season of the UAE Schools & Streets Cup has reached its halfway point and the opening stage was a complete success. The tournaments form part of the du Football Champions project, an initiative launched by LaLiga in 2015 to develop young sporting talent in the United Arab Emirates.

du Football Champions and LaLiga jointly organise the UAE Schools & Streets Cup, featuring around 5,000 boys and girls divided into teams from the Northern Emirates, the Abu Dhabi region and Dubai. The children's competitions kicked off in November 2016, with the finals set to take place in March 2017. This is the second edition of the initiative, which seeks to pick out talent and offer training starting at grassroots level to thousands of youngsters, building on the success of the first edition.

"We are very proud to join forces with du Football to create these opportunities in the United Arab Emirates, to give these youngsters the chance to be discovered by LaLiga scouts," explained Fernando Sanz, LaLiga's General Director Middle East & North Africa and Head of International Sport Projects. He went on to say, "We've seen some real talents in the Northern Emirates and Abu Dhabi, and we hope this can contribute to increasing the number of youngsters training at the LaLiga High Performance Centre. It is a fantastic opportunity for football development and for the UAE's children." Based on the agreement with du Football, LaLiga created the first High Performance Centre in Dubai so that these children can receive sports training of the highest quality.

One of those in charge of selecting youngsters from the country, LaLiga scout Rafael Sanchez said, "The kids who we're seeing are very strong; they are showing the sort of ability we have in Spain at these levels. We hope to continue helping them with their development, to work hard and do our very best to pick out the brightest."