City Football Schools and Al-Jazira Club Academy announce talent development program

ABU DHABI: City Football Schools and Al-Jazira Club Academy have announced a landmark collaboration that will see talented players in the UAE helped on a professional pathway from the age of 6 years old.

From the start of next season, City Football Schools will deliver coaching for the Al-Jazira Club Academy’s foundation phase for 6- to 9-year-olds.

With more than a decade of coaching in the UAE, built on the philosophy and training program of the Manchester City Academy, City Football Schools will supply the coaches, all of whom hold a minimum UEFA B qualification and have undergone Manchester City’s in-house coach education.

They will coach and develop Al-Jazira’s young players, introducing them to a structured methodology designed to create elite players, one that is used globally across all City Football Group clubs. This will be combined with the principles of a safe, creative and positive space, with player happiness and welfare at the forefront of the learning environment.

The move will allow players who have demonstrated talent and aptitude for the game to flourish in a professional club and work through different age groups, with the ultimate aim of signing a professional first-team contract in the future.

For those behind this partnership, this not only offers the opportunity to help produce the stars of tomorrow for Al-Jazira Club, but it will also contribute to the wider development of football in the UAE.

Simon Hewitt, City Football Group’s head of football operations in the Middle East and North Africa, said: “This is a revolutionary partnership that will provide young players an incredible footballing opportunity for years to come. Early sports and football fundamentals are so important for a