Last week, Aspire Academy’s U15, U16 and U17 football teams returned to compete in the third Tri-Series football tournament of the 2016 – 2016 season. During the tournament, they faced youth teams from Ecuadorian football club Independiente Del Valle and South Korean football club Pohang Steelers.
After a series of closely fought games, Aspire Academy’s teams won in two categories: U15 and U16, while Independiente Del Valle returned home with the U17 title.
Commenting on the tournament, Roberto Olabe, Football Director at Aspire Academy, said: “We are delighted to have our U15, U16 and U17 football teams back on the pitch again, building on all they’ve learned in training these past few weeks. Taking part in the Tri-Series tournament is hugely beneficial in helping broaden the horizons of our student-athletes. It gives them exposure to different playing techniques and styles from around the world, whether from Ecuador or South Korea in this tournament, or Germany, the US and Argentina in previous tournaments. We would like to thank Independiente Del Valle and Pohang Steelers for joining us and we hope they have enjoyed the experience. We look forward to the next tournament.”
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.
Independiente Del Valle is a football team based in Ecuadorian capital Quito and competes in the Ecuadorian Serie A. Pohang Steelers is a South Korean professional football club based in the city of Pohang in the North Gyeongsang province and competes in the K-League. It is one of the most successful football teams in Asia, having won three AFC Championship League titles.
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.