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Specialist coaching sessions, weekly tournaments, cooled indoor pitches and a dodgems-style version of the game where players don plastic bubble suits, are all making ‘Football World’ one of the most popular attractions at this year’s Summer in Abu Dhabi festival at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).
With synthetic astro turf and sand options both measuring 15 x 20 metres, Football World’s two pitches are perfect for a four or five-a-side friendly kick-about. Allocated match times of 10 minutes on the astro surface and seven minutes on sand - where players must play barefoot – ensure everyone gets a kick, while weekend tournaments run on the astro pitch on Fridays and the sand surface on Saturdays. The weekly winners will be invited back for an end-of-festival showdown to find out the overall champions.
Specialist tuition from three youth coaches from Ahdaaf Sports Club – Mohamed Fouda, Mustafa Salah and Karim Hussain teach the basics of dribbling and shooting on the astro pitch – that run daily from 6-8PM have also attracted thousands of youngsters harbouring dreams of turning pro.
“The coaching sessions have been fantastic so far, with both experienced players and children new to the game taking part,” said Fouda. “We’re getting more than 250 players every day and overall the standard is good. Most people have said they will be back to play in the tournaments; we’re also starting to see individuals bringing their friends for specially-arranged matches.”
Away from football’s conventional formats, there is also the option of Bumper Ball: a three-versus-three version of the ‘beautiful game’ where players wear inflatable plastic suits. The fun-focused concept turns football into a dodgems-style contest where players can crash into each other at full speed without the risk of injury. The suits, which take three-to-four minutes to put on, can only be worn on the astro pitch.
“Bumper ball is amazing and fun for the coaches and crowds to watch too,” said Salah. “It’s like throwing six balls into a box, shaking it up and watching them collide and roll around; I’ve never seen it before, but it’s great – even the coaches have tried it!”
With football being the most popular sport in the UAE, the zone’s popularity comes as no surprise to Summer in Abu Dhabi organiser, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA).
“Obviously it gets a little hot for kids to play outside during summer, so our indoor pitches - where children can receive professional coaching in a controlled, safe environment - provide a cool alternative,” explained Faisal Al Sheikh, Events Manager, ADTA.
Elsewhere at ADNEC, the all-new ‘Adventure World’ will find a champion who completes the 11 ‘telematch’-style activities in the fastest time; ‘Career World’ lets kids can dress up and try their hands at any one of 12 dream careers, and ‘Show World’ - a specially-constructed, 120-capacity theatre - will feature twice-daily shows by international favourites such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora The Explorer, as well as Marvel’s Thor, Wolverine and Dr. Doom.
ADNEC entry rates are AED20 for children aged up to 12 years old – toddlers up to two years old go free - and AED40 for adults. More details are available from www.summerinabudhabi.ae .
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