UAE Pro League launches “Creative Hub – Universities Challenge”

Sport360 staff 17:17 23/02/2020
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  • (UAE Pro League).

    The UAE Pro League launched last Thursday its latest project “Creative Hub – Universities Challenge 2020”, in a ceremony held at the Youth Hub – Abu Dhabi in the presence of UAE Pro League Chairman Abdulla Naser Al Junaibi, CEO Waleed Al Hosani, players from Al Dhafra and Al Wahda clubs, representatives of the participating universities; Zayed University, Khalifa University, American University of Sharjah and American University in the Emirates, representatives of Al Jazira and Bani Yas clubs as well as UAE PL directors.

    The event started with a speech by Chairman Al Junaibi in which he welcomed participants.

    “Creativity and Innovation know no limits; a person just needs to be ambitious and confident in their abilities to create ideas that can benefit society,” said Al Junaibi, encouraging the students to share all their suggestions and vowing that the UAEPL will endeavor to support those ideas.

    The “Creative Hub – Universities Challenge 2020” event continued with a series of presentation about the UAEPL’s efforts in various areas including marketing and promotion and broadcast. The presentations showcased the work mechanisms and the projects delivered by the UAEPL and those planned in the future, with the aim of equipping participants with the necessary knowledge that can help them come up with new, additional suggestions to develop football in the UAE in general and especially the Arabian Gulf League. Bani Yas and Al Jazira clubs delivered presentations about their own promotional projects and initiatives.

    The participants then learned about the project timeline, as each university is required to nominate ten participants to work in groups of two to five participants each. Each group shall attend at least one Arabian Gulf League match for a club of their choice to get to learn about the fan’s experience first-hand.

    Between February 23 and March 16, the students will have access to meet with UAEPL representatives to get the information they need before submitting their final proposal on March 17 and present it in a panel session on March 22. The top three projects shall be awarded a golden, silver and bronze prizes.

    Commenting on the project, Al Junaibi explains that the “Creative Hub – Universities Challenge 2020” is launched in accordance with the wise leadership’s directives to involve youth in all development fields in the country, and coincides with the UAE Innovation Month. The UAEPL Chairman explained: “The ideas to be submitted by the students will be evaluated by UAEPL specialists and the best ones will be chosen and integrated in the Arabian Gulf League development plans”.

    Al Junaibi concluded by wishing participants good luck and hoping the project will bring benefits to UAE football.

    In turn, Al Wahda striker Sebastian Tagliabue said he was impressed with the idea of the project, adding: “For us as players, it is important to play in front of large crowds, so we always welcome these initiatives that can help attract more fans to the Arabian Gulf League.”

    Al Dhafra player Ahmed Al Shabeebi wished participating students the best of luck as they look to present new ideas that can help the Arabian Gulf League and UAE football in general.

    Representative of Khalifa University students expressed his gratitude to the UAE Pro League, adding: “This initiative makes us feel that our voices are being heard. I am delighted to have the opportunity to participate and present ideas that can help boost the popularity of the Arabian Gulf League. I learned a lot from the presentations I saw; despite being an avid Arabian Gulf League fan, I was not aware of the amount of work being done behind the scenes.”

    Zayed University sports coordinator Charif Rabah expressed his delight to be part of the “Creative Hub – Universities Challenge 2020”, describing it as an opportunity for students to meet players and UAEPL officials to learn more about the plans and work mechanisms at the UAEPL.

    American University of Sharjah students representative said participating in the programme is a great experience for the students, and allows them the opportunity to have a closer look at the work being done at the UAEPL and share their ideas.

    In turn, Professor Leonardo Maturana from the American University in the Emirates said his students have learned a lot about how the UAEPL functions and its role in organizing and administrating competitions, which helps them prepare their ideas for the project.

    Chief Commercial Officer at Al Jazira Club, Nick Pinder, described the event as an opportunity for the club to hear a fresh perspective from the students as they look to plan for the future.

    Meanwhile, Marketing Director at Bani Yas Club, Nader Khalil, thanked the UAEPL for the opportunity to speak about their initiatives and projects aimed at community engagement, adding that the club welcomes collaboration with the students to achieve the project objectives.

    The “Creative Hub – Universities Challenge 2020” is the latest in a series of promotional and developmental projects launched by the UAEPL with the aim of engaging various sectors of the UAE community in its competitions, raising awareness and expanding the fan base.

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