By Isabel Ovalle
Over 300 children from 25 international schools participated in a tournament at Aspire Dome yesterday. The football festival gathered six- to nine-year-old boys devoted to the sport and united by a common dream: to be professional players.
A total of 25 teams took part in the competition and were divided into four groups: three having six teams each and the fourth having seven teams. Each team had 12 players and played four games.
The 10-minute games were in a five versus five format, including the goalkeepers. Due to the small number of players, the field was also smaller, measuring 35 metres by 25 metres, with a 3x1-metre goal and size five footballs. The teams got three points for a win, one point for a draw and no points for a loss.
The group winners went on to the semifinals, after which the losers played for the third and fourth places while the winners faced off in the final match, which was won by Al Hammad International Developed Schools.
Aspire Academy provided 12 referees for the event, which kicked off at 9am and finished around 11.30am.
Fadi Al Kakhi, tournament coordinator, explained that “most of the kids taking part were born in 2005; we wanted to hold a tournament for them. This way we had an opportunity to scout kids born in Qatar.”
Around 40 to 50 Qataris participated in yesterday’s tournament. A competition for independent schools took place recently with 90 percent of the participants being Qataris.
Ricardo Borba, coach at the Football Skills Development Center (FSDC) at Aspire Academy, said: “the FSDC programme is for boys aged six to nine. However, we organise events, starting in September, every Tuesday and Thursday, in order to promote football among children and also identify potential athletes.”
The national sports academy for the development of Qatar’s athletically gifted boys provides integrated sports development, sports science and academic lessons to those on scholarship from Grade 7 (12- to 13-year-olds) to Grade 12 (17- to 18-year-olds). Additionally, Aspire offers a health and lifestyle programme for the community, delivering over 25,000 classes annually.
The Aspire football programme spans 12 years of training and study at Football Talent Centers throughout Doha that cater to boys from six to 11 years of age. From the age of eight years, boys are identified to join the Aspire feeder groups in which they are prepared to join the Academy.
The Football Skills Development Center gives the opportunity to young boys at local schools to remain in contact with the sport and take part in tournaments like the one that took place yesterday at the indoor pitch of Aspire Dome. Some of the kids might be selected for follow-up training by Aspire Academy’s coaches.
Tamim, one of the players from Al Hammad International Developed Schools, which won yesterday’s tournament, said he trained every day to fulfil his dream of becoming a professional football player. At yesterday’s event the winning team played seven matches to bag the trophy.
Mohammed Chehayta, coach at Global International School, which took the second place, said this was not the first time he was participating in such a tournament.
“Most of the kids I train want to be professionals and many want to participate in Aspire or join other teams in the city. The coaches of Aspire come every year to hold a small tournament in the school, where we have a mix of nationalities.”
The Peninsula
