Dubai’s ESM Football Academy is celebrating 15 years of giving young aspiring players a kick-start in their favourite game by announcing a new partnership with United Sports USA – the experts in American Sports Scholarships – and appointing a new Director of Football who will lead the charge from January 2019.
Former Brighton and Hove Albion player, and fully qualified and licenced UEFA B coach, and Sonny Cobbs takes up the role as the new Director of Football. Cobbs has coached in both England and the Middle East, and has more than seven years experience coaching professional football. His vision for the ESM Football Academy is to increase opportunities for talented young players in the UAE to play professionally.
Paul Lightbody, Commercial Director at ESM, is excited about Sonny Cobbs leading the development operations at the academy. “ESM is delighted to welcome Sonny to our team,” he said. “He brings a wealth of experiences, which coupled with his high energy, enthusiasm and passion for football will definitely benefit the development of players at ESM Football Academy. Sonny has a developed a program that is inclusive and progressive that will coach young footballers the fundamentals of game ensuring they always have fun.”
ESM Football Academy have also partnered with United Sports USA, to host US scholarship assessment events for youth footballers in the UAE. Players aged between 15-18, that demonstrates exceptional talent at the scholarship events, will progress to an academic assessment stage to understand their educational performance. Should the student meet both academic and athletic requirements then they will be offered the opportunity to join the program and have the team from United Sports USA seek out funded scholarship courses at Universities across the USA.“The partnership with USU provides a structured environment and affords our young footballers a clear pathway to combine their academics and football skills,” said Cobbs. “U.S. scholarships are a fantastic way to progress from talented players into professional athletes and we look forward to announcing the first student to be accepted on a scholarship by working with United Sports U.S.A., which has an impeccable record,” he added.
The ESM Football Academy is one of the leading football academies in the UAE, and in 2015, celebrated its 15thsuccessful year of operations. The choice of Dubai parents’ the academy trains more than 7,000 youth academy players and school program players each season.The Academy was awarded Best Sports Youth Academy, Best Sports Development Program and Best Sport Event at the prestigious Sports Industry Awards, which recognise outstanding achievements of the sporting industry in the Middle East.
To register, know more or book a free trial with ESM Football Academy visit www.esmacademies.ae or call 04-3697817.
ESM Football Academy : https://esmacademies.ae/football-academy
