Elite Sporting Academy

The purpose of the Elite Sporting Academy is to fill a major void in the UAE & the Middle East where there is a gap between participation, talent identification, development and an elite pathway towards professionalism. ESA would close these gaps and provide the necessary tools for athletes to be able to perform at the highest level.

The aims of the ESA are:

1. To identify and develop players, both locally and internationally with the potential to succeed at the highest level.
2. To develop players who can make professional sport their first career.
3. To develop players who can make a career in sport outside of the playing arena.
4. And most importantly to offer all players of all ages an opportunity to experience the best development programme possible.

The ESA journey begins at an early age when young players may be recruited from 10 years old. Young players from the ages of 10 to 16 attend their own school during the day and are then coached three to four times a week after school at ESA before taking part in a fortnightly weekend fixture.

At the end of their ESA career (18 years) they will be taken abroad for a series of trial matches at top professional clubs.

The Academy’s structure will not be too dissimilar to other successful academy models around the world but will be unique in the way that living in an expatriate dominated society is unique and will be tailored this way.

The key points are:

Identification:
Identify & recruit individuals with the potential to excel in the ESA environment.

Development:
Educate not only the athlete but also the person. Everything to do with high performance will be part of the Academy remit. As well as on the pitch performance other areas such as nutrition, sports psychology, rehabilitation, drug and alcohol awareness, financial matters as well as other modules will be part of the Academy.

Elite Pathway:
Provide ample opportunity for Academy players to showcase their skills in front of renowned coaches and talent scouts associated with professional clubs. This would be through attending tournaments, hosting tournaments, inviting scouts to the academy etc.

Career Pathway:
Show students the options they have of staying involved in their sport should they not become a professional player. This will be through various lectures by invited industry experts. These guests will come from the wider range of the sports industry to demonstrate to students the many options of a career in sport.