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Abu Dhabi’s home of football, the Dome@Rawdhat, has launched the UAE’s first street soccer academy, a new six-week programme teaching the art of street soccer to fancy footwork enthusiasts.
The Streetkings Football Academy will kick-start on 5 February and is open to all ages and abilities. The popularity of street soccer is quickly growing in the UAE; the inaugural Streetkings tournament at the Dome last month saw more than 120 people take part and the launch of the new academy is in direct response to the positive feedback of street soccer in the emirates.
Streetkings founder Edward van Gils is due to make a surprise visit during the programme and will take the players through a special training session. A former player at Dutch league side AZ Alkamar, van Gils is a cult figure around the world because of his awe-inspiring abilities to effortlessly manipulate a football in a flamboyant show of ball control, imagination and showmanship.
Van Gils and his colleague Izzy Hitman have worked with fellow Dutchman Khalid Hamdaoui, another former professional footballer and now full time coach at the Dome@Rawdhat and Manchester United Soccer Schools in Abu Dhabi, who will deliver the new academy sessions.
The first six-week programme runs every Sunday evening and will teach three age groups how to apply street soccer tricks, ball control, beat moves, positioning and highly skilled passing during a game of football. Registration is now open for the academy which costs AED680 for six sessions which includes a branded Streetkings kit of t-shirt, shorts and socks.
Age Group Time
6-12yrs 5:00pm – 6:00pm
13-17yrs 6:15pm – 7:15pm
18yrs+ 7:30pm – 8:30pm
Streetkings has set up a permanent home in Abu Dhabi and the first academy programme of its kind in the region will be followed by additional sessions in April 2012 and June 2012. More one-day tournaments and special events are also in the planning stages.
“The ethos behind street soccer is to be as creative as possible and have some fun with the football,” said van Gils, who is known as the Godfather of street football. “The new academy will focus on developing the players’ technical skills as well as building their confidence, discipline, dedication and attitude, both on and off the pitch.”
Street soccer has taken off around the world, and van Gils has appeared in major brand television commercials with famous footballers such as Ronaldinho and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
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.
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