DUBAI- An elite, expatriate football team – UAE Precor – has competed for the 4th year in the coveted Dubai Amateur Football League (DAFL) as the only youth team to play in the adult competition in its history. The league which started in September last year and ends this month sees 40 teams compete for the cup and the title in four divisions. UAE Precor successfully secured a place in the semi-finals of the competition, the first youth team to progress that far in the adult competition.
“UAE Precor has some of the most talented youth players in the region and competitions like these give us the opportunity to develop our young players and expose them to higher levels of competitive football” said Tarek Khalifa, chairman and member of the volunteer coaching team of UAE Precor. “This competition enables the team to gain skills in strategy, tactics and experience as they play against seasoned footballers.”
The team is the only U16 to U18 youth team to play in the first division of the DAFL, one of the most recognised leagues in Dubai with former professional players from all over the world and UAE. The team beat Dubai FC 3-2 to get to the semi-finals.
“We had players between the ages of 16 – 18; the fact that they reached the semi-finals is evidence that they are sportsmen to be reckoned with,” added Khalifa.
“Although winning an adult league cup is not among our objectives, it was an excellent platform for the boys towards their future as top athletes and footballers. We’ll continue developing our youth teams and hope to win the cup next year as an additional reward to our efforts and community initiative,” continued Khalifa.