Dubai: Three teams from the Future Star FC will be vying to emulate the feats of top stars such as Brazilian Ze Roberto, Denmark’s Brian Laudrup and Peter Schmeichel when they depart to participate in the annual Dana Cup in Denmark later this month.
One of the biggest junior tournaments in the world, the Dana Cup will be held from July 25-30 in Hjørring, Denmark, and Future Star Dubai FC are participating with two boys’ and one team of girls in the annual competition.
With more than 20,000 players, officials and referees, the Dana Cup is the biggest international youth soccer tournament in the world along with being Denmark’s largest sporting event. This year, more than 1,000 teams from over 100 countries are expected to participate in the 33rd year of this sporting spectacle held in the North Jutland town of Hjørring since 1982.
Regardless of level or category, each of three teams from Dubai is assured of playing a minimum of four matches in Denmark while having the opportunity of testing themselves at the international level.
The tournament is open in eight age categories starting from the under-11s and going up to the under-19s. The Future Star Dubai FC are fielding sides in the under-16s (boys and girls) and under-17 boys. “The idea is to test where we stand at the international level. These youngsters have spent the last two months, irrelevant of the heat or even school assignments, doing hard work and training. Now is the time for them to show what they have achieved in football,” Russell Rosario, Head Coach, Future Star Dubai FC, said at a press conference on Saturday.
“We have a belief that youngsters should not just train all the year round, but they also need to travel and play against quality sides around the world and see where they stand as upcoming footballers,” Rosario added.
Last year, Future Star Dubai FC had teamed up with the CFF Academy to put up representative teams at The Great Wall Cup in Beijing, China. “This is all a part of their growth process as footballers and we are glad that we have a bunch of players here who show a lot of commitment to their sport,” Senior Coach Savio Cardozo noted.
“We will continue to train for the next week before we depart for Denmark on July 17,” he added.
Future Star FC Dubai was started in 1992 with the aim of promoting the love for the game and to challenge every player to aspire to greater heights.
