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Four Abu Dhabi street soccer teams have been crowned the winners of the inaugural Streetkings tournament which took place at the UAE’s capital’s home of football, the Dome@Rawdhat.
Ahmad Yousef and Mohammed Khan, Team Liverpool shared the Under 12 trophy with Karim Ayman and Mohammed Tareq of Team MK in a tightly fought battle. In the Under 17 category, Bader Alshabibi and Wael Alshabibi’s Team BW took first prize, while Team Hyatt – Razun Croitory and Anouar Moujami – won the 18 and over division.
“Even though I practise a lot with my brother Bader, it was a great surprise for us to win the first street soccer competition in Abu Dhabi,” said Wael Alshabibi, a 15 year old who plays for Al Jazeera’s boys’ team.
Each two-person team went head to head in the small gated football courts in a series of nine games. Reem Investments, the company which built the Dome@Rawdhat and organisers of the tournament, were overwhelmed with the response from the local community; 62 teams registered to take part in the event which was sponsored by Pepsi.
Street soccer is growing a steady fan base in the UAE capital since Streetkings signed an agreement with Reem Investments to set up a permanent home in Abu Dhabi. Edward van Gils, founder of Streetkings and a former player with Dutch league side AZ Alkamar kick-started the tournament with an impressive demonstration of tricks and moves with his colleague Izzy Hitman.
Streetkings Tournament / 2
Streetkings’ presence in Abu Dhabi is a fascinating insight into the hugely popular sport of street soccer, which has turned players like van Gils into cult figures around the world because of their ability to effortlessly manipulate a football in a flamboyant show of ball control, imagination and showmanship.
The sport has become big business, and van Gils has appeared in commercials for some of the world’s biggest brands with famous players like Ronaldinho and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Street soccer is seen as having learning qualities well beyond the vast array of tricks invented and perfected by players such as van Gils, and his colleague Lenny Macnack, an expert at Panna, the art of playing the ball through your opponent’s legs.
Rinus Michels, the Holland team manager who led Ajax to the European Cup and Barcelona to the La Liga title in Spain, has described the sport as “the most natural educational system that can be found.”
The Dome@Rawdhat was built by Reem Investments to create a vibrant sporting community at the gateway to Abu Dhabi. The area has become a magnet for players of all ages, currently hosting more than 12,000 footballers and their families every month on its indoor and outdoor pitches. It is also home to the hugely successful Manchester United Soccer Schools which launched in October 2010.
Registration for the clinic and tournament is now open at www.thedome.ae or by calling 02 449 8480 or 050 662 7701.
Caption 1: Edward van Gils, founder of Streetkings.
Caption 2: The winners of the inaugural Streetkings tournament, Under 17 category, Bader Alshabibi and Wael Alshabibi.
Caption 3: Edward van Gils shows Abu Dhabi footballers his skills at the Dome@Rawdhat.
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