Celta Vigo and Al Ain Clubs Select Du LaLiga HPC Players for Pro-Football Careers

du LaLiga new season teams in intensive training; U18 & 16 teams getting ready for Spain August scouting trip

Dubai, UAE - 24 May 2017 -  du LaLiga High Performance Center (HPC) announced today that two of its football talents, Ahmed El Yamani and Rashed Ahmed, have been scouted by the Spanish LaLiga club Celta Vigo and UAE Al Ain club respectively for pro-football careers.

These two players, who are also part of the du LaLiga HPC U18 team who took home the gold from the inaugural season of the UAE FA Academy League and are just back from a development trip to Spain, were recognized for their exceptional performance at an event hosted by du and LaLiga last night. 

Their new team members in the U18 teams as well as the U16 & U14 du LaLiga HPC teams were also welcomed into the program at the event. 

The event was attended by Osman Sultan, CEO of du, Saeed Al Tunaiji, Vice President of the UAE Football Association, Fernando Sanz, LaLiga Director General MENA and Head of International Sports Projects and Hussein Murad, CEO of Inspiratus as well as all the players and their parents who witnessed the signing ceremony of Ahmed Al Yamani with the Celta Vigo club. 

Five other du LaLiga HPC players are being eyed by LaLiga clubs, and expected to be scouted and sign professional contracts with them this summer during the du LaLiga HPC camp in Marbella. 

The pathway to pro-football offered by du LaLiga HPC enables players, before they reach the age of 18, to either be scouted by local and international clubs or to earn a full football scholarship at a top US university. Currently, du LaLiga HPC player scholarship agreements are being finalized with US universities and the players’ names are expected to be announced by October 2017.

This elite group of talented football players were selected through the du Football Champions (duFC) platform, home of the UAE Schools & Streets Cups that saw more than 7,000 youth from across the UAE playing their favorite sport for the opportunity to be discovered by LaLiga scouts.

Speaking at the event, Osman Sultan, CEO of du said, “Through our innovative football platform, we at du, are committed to changing the lives of youth across the UAE. du Football Champions was established to address a gap we had in sports sponsorships in cultivating and inspiring our youth by adding value to their lives in meaningful new ways. The platform has enabled us to play a huge role in discovering talents who have the potential to become football stars. du LaLiga HPC develops these talents to the world-class standards required by the best clubs.  We are proud today to announce that du LaLiga HPC has produced talents who are on the way to pro-football careers internationally and nationally. Here today with all our private and public sector partners, we celebrate their achievements and we look forward to many more stars and achievements from the new season teams.”

The du LaLiga High Performance Centre is the first of its kind venture outside of Spain. Here talented football players scouted through the duFC platform train year-round and participate in the UAE FA Academy League in preparation for the summer trip to Spain during which they undertake an intensive 3-week development camp and play matches against top LaLiga youth teams where they have a unique opportunity to be discovered by LaLiga scouts.

Commenting on the second season of scouted talents, Fernando Sanz, LaLiga Director General MENA and Head of International Sports Projects said, “We are very proud of our partnership on duFC and on establishing the du LaLiga High Performance Centre here in the UAE. Our highly qualified coaches are committed to the development of youth football talents in the UAE and we can see a great change in the performance level of the inaugural team some of whom have already caught the attention of LaLiga clubs.  We are certain that many more of them will become the football stars of the future.”

Celebrating the talents, Hussein Murad, CEO of Inspiratus, the organizers of the scouting platform said, “With our partners in the private and public sectors, we are changing the face of youth football in the UAE, enabling them to have a clear pathway towards a pro-football career.  Today we celebrate the achievements of the inaugural team and look forward to the ongoing development of our young talents.”

The du Football Champions is a nationwide initiative featuring the UAE’s official Schools Cup and Streets Cup.  Conducted in partnership with ADEC, KHDA the Ministry of Education, Dubai Sports Council and Abu Dhabi Sports Council.  With the du LaLiga High Performance Centre, the platform aims to achieve sustainable human development through the discovery of promising talents, who will raise the bar on sports excellence at local and national teams as they become the next generation of professional male and female footballers.