The UAE’s young footballers are getting a taste of competitive football as the Future Champions League enters its seventh season.
Launched in 2012, the initiative from Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) piloted with a single tournament featuring under 500 participants between the ages of 10 and 14. In the years since its inception, the tournament has grown significantly and now features over 3000 young footballers competing for the trophy annually. The ADIB Future Champions League was rewarded with the Best Sports CSR Initiative of the Year at the 2018 Sports Industry Awards (SPIA) awards earlier this month.
Fans have got behind the competition with the ‘goal of the month’ award receiving upwards of 650 entries every time, along with tens of thousands of social media followers who interact with the online content.
Adel Al Zarouni, Chairman of the CSR Council at ADIB said, “Winning the SPIA Best Sports CSR Initiative is a proud moment for ADIB. Playing a positive role in the local community is a priority for the bank and, since it was established the Future Champions League has become a shining example of this. In 2018, there were 10 tournaments with over 253 teams and 3,005 players competing across the UAE. The quality of the football was very high throughout the year and particularly at the finals held at Dubai Sports City in March where potential superstars of the future gave it 110 percent, displaying a high level of skill and athletic ability”.
Young winners: Future Champions League
The competition, which is free to enter, is open to three age groups – under 10s, under 12s and under 14s. Teams compete in eight qualifying events in a round robin mini league with the top two teams making it to the final stages with the six best runners up also joining the leaders in the finals.
While the football is important, promoting a healthy lifestyle and getting kids of the UAE active is the main objective of the event, “We believe it is important for children in the UAE to understand the benefits of health and fitness, as well as the fun derived from succeeding as a team,” added Al Zarouni. “Sport can teach young students important lessons about the values of teamwork, professionalism, hard work and achieving goals. These are all values, which play an important role in later life. Going forward, we will continue to build on the success of the Future Champions League and to boost participation rates of young boys and girls playing sport across the UAE. This is very much in line with our focus of supporting and developing our nation’s youth”.
All matches are a seven-a-side format with ten-minute halves and the UAE Football Association provides fully qualified referees for the competition. In 2017 the winning teams from each age group were given the chance to attend the Arabian Gulf Cup Final as mascots.
