By Sports Reporter/Doha


Last week, Aspire Academy’s U13, U14 and U15 football teams competed against youth teams from Philadelphia Union from the US and German team VfB Stuttgart in the Academy’s second Tri-Series football tournament of the 2015 – 2016 season.
After a number of closely fought, intense and thrilling matches played during this second round of the tournament, VfB Stuttgart ran out eventual winners. The Tri-Series competitions play a major role in the development of Aspire Academy’s student-athletes. Giving teams from the Academy exposure to different playing styles, management philosophies and tactics from around the globe and the opportunity to play against opposition from some of the world’s most established footballing countries helps the Academy’s players develop their talent and fulfil their potential. It is a vital part of Aspire Academy’s commitment to enabling the sporting success of its student-athletes.
During their stay in Qatar, the visiting teams stayed at the Torch and Grand Heritage Hotels. On the days when they were not competing in the tournament, the teams were given a tour of Doha and visited a number of the city’s best-known tourist attractions and important landmarks, learning about Qatari history and culture.
Commenting on the competition, Tommy Wilson, Director of the Philadelphia Union Academy, said: “This is our second time in Doha, and everything has been just as outstanding as it was the first time round. The quality of the opposition during the games was very good and really pushed our players to do their best.
“Over the past 18 months, we have focused closely on unifying our philosophy and approach across all our youth teams, and this competition has certainly contributed to that. We would like to thank Aspire Academy for hosting us once again, and look forward to participating in future competitions.”
Markus Rüdt, Youth Coordinator VfB Stuttgart, said: “The organisation of the tournament is perfect and we are very happy to have been invited. For many players, this is the first time that they have visited the country and they were really impressed with the facilities and everything else on offer here. We’re grateful for the opportunity to compete internationally because it gives our teams a chance to learn from players from different cultures and gain exposure to different playing styles and philosophies”.
The Philadelphia Union is a professional soccer team from the United States, based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area and competing in Major League Soccer (MLS). VfB Stuttgart is a German sports club based in Stuttgart in the state of Baden-Württemberg.It is the largest club in Baden-Württemberg and the fifth largest in Germany.
In recent years, the Tri-Series tournament has brought some of the world’s finest youth teams together to compete against the student-athletes currently enrolled at Aspire Academy.
Doing so provides unique opportunities to support the development of local players, aligning with Aspire Academy’s vision to be recognised as the world’s leading sports academy for the development of youth athletes by 2020.