Five talented young footballers aged between seven and 18 will be representing Dubai at the Manchester United Soccer Schools (MUSS) residential camp, in Manchester, England, this week.
The soccer enthusiasts are winners of the skills tests at the Manchester United Soccer Schools programme in Dubai operated in partnership with Dubai Sports City.
Lewis Byrne, Zachary Drury, Oluwole Oluwatoyin, Abdulla Saeed Shara’a and Emilie Nokleby will take part at the MUSS camp, held in Manchester, courtesy of Dubai Sports City.
Joining the UAE participants will be almost 40 children from across the Middle East, who will be “Training the United Way” for five days at the camp. The most successful players will be eligible to compete in the World Skills Final in October.
Jamie Donovan and Philippe El Khoury – two Manchester United Soccer Schools’ players from Dubai – have already won a place at the World Skills Final, following their exceptional performance. It will be Donovan’s second appearance at the World Skills Final, where he finished third overall in last year’s event.
The youngest of the five contestants taking part in the training camp is Lewis Byrne, who said: “I’m really excited to travel to the home of my football heroes and meet other MUSS students. I want to learn new soccer skills and I’m really looking forward to visiting Old Trafford stadium, the Theatre of Dreams.”
Maqbul Dudhia, General Manager, Sports Business, Dubai Sports City said: “Manchester United Soccer Schools Residential Camp serves as a stepping stone for young athletes to build on their experience both mentally and physically and develop their soccer skills. We want to encourage all young sporting enthusiasts to achieve their full potential at the highest level.”
Out of 768 young soccer enthusiasts from across the region who participated in the MUSS programme last season, there were 57 different nationalities aged seven to 18. Five highly skilled participants, including the most skilful girl, progressed to the residential training camp in the UK. The two overall winners will take part in the World Skills Final.
About Manchester United Soccer Schools:
Manchester United Soccer Schools is run by Manchester United Merchandising, which is a subsidiary of Nike under the 13-year commercial alliance between the Club and Nike. MUSS offers coaching courses for footballers of all ages and ability, from eight years old through to adults. MUSS coaching and skills development programmes are consistent with the philosophy used by the famous Manchester United Youth Academy. More than 40 UEFA-qualified coaches run the courses in the UK and overseas.
Application forms for the MUSS programme are available from the MUSS booking hotline, 04 329 3313, or via the MUSS website (www.muss.ae).
About Dubai Sports City:
Dubai Sports City (DSC), the cornerstone project of Dubailand, is a $3 billion, 50 million square feet mixed-use development which will be the world’s first integrated purpose-built sports city.
The development will be built around five major sports venues:
• a 60,000 capacity multi-purpose outdoor stadium for football, rugby, track and field and other sports and non-sports events
• a 10,000 seat multi-purpose indoor arena suitable for all hard court sports as well as concerts and other events and also including a removable ice rink
• a 25,000 capacity cricket stadium, expandable to 30,000, with state-of-the-art facilities for players, match officials, VIPs, spectators and the media
• a 5,000 seat field hockey stadium
• The Dunes, a magnificent 18-hole Championship golf course designed by Ernie Els
In addition to the stadia, Dubai Sports City will feature a series of major sports academy facilities including:
• Dubai Sports City Football Academy, the home of Manchester United Soccer Schools, Dubai
• a David Lloyd Tennis Academy
• a Butch Harmon School of Golf, the first such facility outside the United States
• the International Cricket Council’s own ICC Global Cricket Academy
• the WorldHockey Academy, a first of its kind partnership with the International Hockey Federation
• top class multi-sport training facilities including gymnasium and a 50 metre swimming pool
• a world-renowned sports medicine and rehabilitation centre
Designed as a lifestyle development, Dubai Sports City will also feature comprehensive community facilities including:
▪ Next Generation Country Club and spa facility
▪ a large-scale shopping mall
▪ two retail hubs offering up-scale dining and boutique shopping
▪ a range of schools
▪ medical facilities
▪ community centres
▪ hotels
For further media information, contact Mikele Ugarte on +971 4 390 1950.
