Abu Dhabi: Former Juventus striker David Trezeguet launched the Italian club’s official academy in Abu Dhabi this week.
The project is managed by J Sports LLC, a joint venture between Abu Dhabi-based Al Masaood Group and FFG Sports Management LLC, a sports management firm that operates the Juventus Academy in Dubai.
Ahmad Al Masaood, vice-chairman of Al Masaood Group, said: “We are honoured to represent one of the biggest football clubs in the world. Juventus was founded in 1897 and it is the only sports team in the world to be owned by the same family (the Agnellis) for 94 years. It is a great step to further strengthen the relationship between the UAE and Italian culture and is sure to be highly valued by the Abu Dhabi community.”
The Juventus Academy, which follows similar set-ups in the region by other top European clubs, will be hosted at the Abu Dhabi Cricket Stadium, which is operated under the full support of Abu Dhabi Sports Council. Sessions will be run for kids aged from 4-17 years of age and will take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The academy will have coaching programmes run by Italian, Juventus approved coaches as well as its own tournaments and leagues. The programmes aim at helping kids take their first steps into football by providing them with a training platform devised by some of Europe’s greatest coaches. In addition, the young players have the opportunity to travel to Italy during the summer to participate in the Juventus Training Experience as well as the Juventus Academy World Cup.
The Juventus Academy currently constitutes 80 projects around the world. Approximately 500 children currently participate in the Dubai programme which operates under the supervision of the Juventus Area Manager, Marco Degortes.
Trezeguet was a legend for Juventus, scoring 138 goals in 245 league appearances over 10 years at the club, where he remains the side’s all-time fourth highest scorer. The France international, who scored the golden goal to win Euro 2000, also has an Abu Dhabi connection having played three games for Bani Yas without scoring back in 2011. He joined the club on a one-year deal but had his contract mutually terminated after an injury limited his playing time.
For more information, email abudhabi@juventusacademy.ae or visit www.juventus.com/academyabudhabi
