Aspiring UAE footballers will be hoping to net success as they prepare to fly out to the prestigious Dana Cup 2015 being held in Denmark next week.
Future Star FC Dubai will field three teams at the tournament, which is being staged in Hjørring from July 20-25, two boys’ teams (U16 and U17), as well as an U16 girl’s team.
The Dana Cup has been in existence since 1982 and is hailed by organisers as the world’s most international youth football tournament, claiming it to have the largest number of participating countries of any international football tournament.
#Hjørring #Stadium ready to welcome 20.000 young soccer players from all around the World http://t.co/459SB7IOlJ pic.twitter.com/uIkfJaHdcF
— Dana Cup, Hjørring (@DanaCupHjorring) July 11, 2015
More than 20,000 players, officials and referees will be descending on the Scandinavian country, making it Denmark’s largest sporting event.
The 33rd edition of the event will feature more than 1,000 teams from over 100 countries, playing 2,755 games.
Future Star head coach Russell Rosario said his teams are ecstatic to be competing against opponents from the world’s biggest footballing nations, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.
“Everyone at the club is very excited. It will be a great experience and we hope they will be successful,” said the 51-year-old.
Rosario, senior coach and team manager Savio Cardozo and technical director Wellington Fernandes will be accompanying the teams on the tour.
Star have participated in various tournaments in the UAE, winning a number of them, while the boys’ team competed in The Great Wall Cup last year in Beijing, China, where they merged with teams from CFF Academy and competed as Dubai Expats.
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That proved to be a great experience for the club and they are now ready to stamp their mark on the international scene at the Dana Cup.
“Last year we started our academy. In July we went to Beijing with six or seven boys and that was great exposure for them and the club,” said Rosario.
“After that we had lots more kids who wanted to join. A lot more kids have since joined, from different schools in Dubai, including Our Own Indian High School and Delhi Private School. Most are Indian players but there are also some Sri Lankan and Filipino kids too.”
After their international experience last year, Rosario is hoping for big things from the boys in Denmark.
“For the boys, we have high hopes, they could do well,” he said.
“We hope they will at least reach the knockout stages and test themselves against good teams. They have trained hard and I hope they will come home with a trophy.”
This year’s trip represents the first international outing for the girls’ squad, Rosario adding: “For the girls it is the first time they will be going to a tournament. The girls are aged 13 to 15 and they are excited. It will be a great experience for them. Maybe next year we will take a junior team too.”
In preparation for the tournament, the teams have been training at some of Dubai’s world-class sporting facilities, including Dubai Sports World at the World Trade Centre.
Several youngsters to have first strutted their stuff at the tournament in previous year include Danish legends Peter Schmeichel and Brian Laudrup, as well as Brazil’s former Bayern Munich ace Zé Roberto.
Some of the most famous youth clubs from around the world will be at the tournament, including Pequeninos do Jockey from São Paulo, Chivas Guadalajara, Cruz Azul from Mexico and Ipswich Town.
