Dubai Sports City conducted its first-ever youth football tournament, and it has proven to be a major success as more than 400 children took part in it. They were broken up into 40 teams, and they comprised of kids ranging from eight years old to 16 years old.
The majority of the matches were conducted from the morning till the evening, but the finals were played under floodlights. The former Real Madrid defender Michel Salgado was one of the high profile names watching this event. The Spanish coaches Inaki Beni and Pablo Coira were also present at the event.
Salgado along with the coaches have brought presents and prizes to the participating teams. As a result of this huge success, it is expected that this tournament will become a regular fixture at the Academies Campus. The Spanish defender Salgado was impressed with the quality of football on display. He has praised the facilities at the Dubai Sports City Academies Campus by saying that it gave the children a huge buzz. He has said that the enthusiasm amongst the children looks extremely promising, and the future of UAE football can be built from this base.
Dubai is one of the hottest regions in the world, but the indoor artificial pitch at the Academies Campus allows football to be played even during the summer months. “The fact the children were able to take advantage of playing at such a great facility as the Dubai Sports City Academies Campus gave them a huge buzz – I saw that first-hand. In the past month the same pitches have been used by Russian top-flight side Anzhi Makhachkala and Swansea City, the English Premier League side that won the League Cup at Wembley,” said Salgado, who has now retired from playing professional football. His professional career saw him play for the likes of Real Madrid and Blackburn Rovers.