Dubai: The first official Pan-Emirates school football league involving more than 350 students from 36 schools was launched on Wednesday.
The league, to be jointly run by Axiom and Ahdaaf, is aimed at providing an opportunity to youngsters to engage in healthy competition while further developing their footballing skills.
“At axiom we always strive to bring today’s youth and tomorrow’s leaders to the forefront of everything we do, and the ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ Pan-Emirates school league will help identify and develop home-grown talent and promote an active lifestyle among students,” said Faisal Al Bannai, CEO, Axiom.
“The league will not only encourage students to compete in a sport they are passionate about, but will also empower youth by giving them a unique platform to showcase their talent and skills,” Al Bannai added.
The competition will be held in three phases, with schools in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah battling it out for the Stars of Tomorrow Cup. Twelve schools from each emirate will compete, of which 16 teams will qualify for the knockout tournament on May 29 at The Dubai Mall, Ice Rink.
“The ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ concept has been developed by us to address the mass need to establish an official Pan-Emirates school football league. The idea is to give all high schools, private or public, the opportunity to participate in a nationwide competition that would create a football infrastructure in the UAE,” said Anas Bukhash, Managing Partner, Ahdaaf Sports Club.
In addition, 30 UAE-based national and expatriate players will be selected to form an elite intercultural team that will compete for the All Stars Cup in a landmark match in Dubai.
Formed in 2008 through the Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development, Ahdaaf Sports Club is a one-stop-shop concept for anything and everything related to sports.
