The inaugural Dubai Schools Football Cup (DSFC) will get underway on Saturday as 1,800 children from 50 schools compete to win the trip of a lifetime to Manchester United.
The official announcement of the eight-week tournament, which will be held at the Dubai Sports City Football Academy, was made on Wednesday at the Dubai Sports Council.
There will be two age categories for both boys and girls – under-10 and u-12 for the boys, and u-16 and u-13 for the girls.
In total, over 100 teams will compete for the big prize, with the winners of each category chosen to make the journey to watch Manchester United in action at their iconic Old Trafford stadium, thanks to Cup sponsor Chevrolet.
Winners will also participate in a full-day football training clinic provided by fellow Cup sponsor Emirates NBD and delivered by Manchester United coaches.
While a trip to see the Premier League champions is an incredible prize for the eventual winners, the DSFC aims for all participants to benefit greatly from the event.
“This tournament is not only about trying to discover potential professional footballers, but trying to bring some key values to the kids,” Dubai Sports City Football Academy Director – and Real Madrid legend – Michel Salgado explained.
“Each week at my Academy, we stress how important sport is for education and in helping to develop kids for later life. Teamwork, leadership, integrity; these are values that football can offer that are not just valid in sport but for life in general.”
Salgado, who won four La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues during his 10-year Madrid career, also revealed that scholarships to the Football Academy will be given to a handful of players.
“All of the coaches and I will be overseeing the games during the Cup. It will not just be about the best players of the tournament – we are looking out for kids who have something we can work with,” he added.
“We will give these kids scholarships so they can work with us for free and we will provide them the best coaching they can possibly have.”
The DSFC will incorporate children from various schools, cultures and nationalities, and will be completely free for all teams, thanks to sponsors Emirates NBD and Chevrolet.
Hussein Murad, CEO of tournament oragnisers Inspirator expressed his gratitude: “Our hope for the DSFC is to get kids from all backgrounds together and engaging in their shared love of football while developing a healthy lifestyle. “Partnering with the Dubai Sports Council, Dubai Educational Zone and Dubai Sports City to make this a reality has been tremendous.
“It was necessary for the DSFC 2014 to be free, allowing students from all curricula and backgrounds the opportunity participate in the tournament, and we thank our main sponsors for their generous contribution, which helped make this possible.”
For more information on the Dubai Schools Football Cup, visit: http://www.dubaischoolsfc.com
Or on facebook at: facebook.com/DubaiSchoolsFC
