Ras Al Khaimah: Ras Al Khaimah’s Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) has partnered with The Football Academy (TFA) to help develop the next generation of local footballers.
RAKTDA will become the youth team’s shirt sponsor and will support TFA’s many initiatives as they look to identify talent and take it to the next level.
The celebrate the launch of the partnership, RAKTDA hosted the team of 24 players and two Italian coaches from Serie B’s Carpi FC for a January training camp in Ras Al Khaimah.
The weekend saw the Under-18s undergo four training sessions at the Hilton Ras Al Khaimah Resort and Spa, led by Carpi’s technical director Fabio Gozzi and Alessandro Pasquail.
The two-days concluded with a competitive match against Emirates Club at the UAE side’s home stadium in Ras Al Khaimah. Haitham Mattar, chief executive officer of RAKTDA said: “Youth development and education is a key priority for His Highness Shaikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi’s (Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah) vision for Ras Al Khaimah’s progressive strategy, and is an area that RAKTDA is committed to supporting through various engagement activities. Our sponsorship of The Football Academy underlines our commitment to supporting the ambitions of the UAE’s youth, as well as highlighting the state-of-the-art sporting facilities available in Ras Al Khaimah.”
Ali Al Jishi, head coach, of The Football Academy, added: “Developing young sporting talent within the UAE is only possible through the support of our partners and it is a great honour to have the backing of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority. The training camp was a great success for us and the team — it was the perfect way to start the new year.”
