Al Ahli links up with La Liga in intriguing deal

Dubai: Al Ahli Football Club have unveiled a partnership with La Liga that has been described as a “first of its kind” for both the renowned professional Spanish league and the Arabian Gulf League’s leading side.

Al Ahli are the first international club to partner with La Liga on a project that focuses on knowledge sharing between the two organisations, a statement said.

La Liga president, Javier Tebas and the Al Ahli chairman, Abdullah Saeed Al Naboodah, signed an agreement on Monday morning which will see La Liga and Al Ahli work together on joint projects in football management. The signing of the agreement, which was staged at La Liga’s headquarters, marks the beginning of a link-up in which La Liga’s experience will be used to support the Dubai club’s development.

Also present at the presentation ceremony were Fernando Sanz, La Liga’s director for the Middle East and for international projects and La Liga’s first global ambassador, along with key figures from the Al Ahli hierarchy, including the club’s CEO, Ahmad Hammad, Deputy CEO Mohammed Faraj and Commercial Director Budreya Faisal.

The partnership encompasses the sharing of expertise through workshops of up to 14 different topics that will run throughout the coming two seasons. Workshops hosted by Al Ahli “will be held in Dubai by experts in all areas of football management”.

Whilst in Spain, a theoretical and practical Academy players and coaching training programme will be implemented to pass on the methodology that is employed in their domestic league.

Within the framework provided by the agreement, workshops held will range from institutional aspects such as marketing, stadium security, strategy and legal affairs - to elements more directly related with the sporting side, including injury prevention, nutrition to optimise sporting performance and training for coaches.

“In recent history, our football team has continuously set our place as the top contender in Dubai and the UAE. Now with this partnership with La Liga, our club’s thriving management will continue to shine and further solidify our unshakable position in the UAE, from every club-related aspect. We are proud to bring a partnership of this magnitude to the UAE, and to lead in a new standard of football management,” said Al Naboodah.

Hammad said: “We look forward to hosting workshops starting in May, the first of which will be an exciting topic that we are thrilled to announce in the coming weeks.”

He added: “I would like to thank Eleven Sports Agency for making this partnership possible.”