LaLiga takes part in the UAE Schools and Streets Cups in Dubai

Dubai played host on Saturday to the UAE School and Street Cup finals, the end of a successful international project involving LaLiga. The event was attended by Fernando Sanz, LaLiga's Global Ambassador and Director of MENA and International Projects, Liga BBVA ambassadors Roberto Carlos and Michel Salgado, as well as Jose Ignacio Salarich, Spain's Ambassador to Abu Dhabi, and Ricardo Fisas, the director of the Spanish Business School in the Arab Emirates. The successful initiative involving LaLiga kicked off last October and is organised by du Football Champions led by its director Michel Salgado.

The youth competition offers young talents from the United Arab Emirates the chance to become national and international footballers. The initiative, which has been well received, involved 12,000 boys and girls, who were split into 500 teams to compete in the UAE Schools Cup and another 500 in the UAE Streets Cup. The children played round after round and the 32 finalists were finally announced on Saturday. This is the first competition of its type and has drawn huge interest in the United Arab Emirates.

The 32 winners picked up an array of prizes, amongst them a 15-day training and development trip to Spain, where they will compete at youth level for clubs including Malaga CF, Sevilla FC, Cordoba CF and Cadiz CF.

The project is part of LaLiga's international expansion strategy and highlights the importance that LaLiga gives to all aspects of training and development. As part of its commitment to development, LaLiga is immersed in a project to open a performance centre in Dubai, in order continue tracking the young footballers' careers.