Abu Dhabi Schools Champions, organised by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the Department of Knowledge and Education, and Inspiratus kicked off the inaugural season of the Abu Dhabi Schools Champions (ADSC), a groundbreaking multi-sports league to develop and empower youth sports and athleticism and embed healthy lifestyles among school children in Abu Dhabi, featuring 1,000 male and female athletes to date from 205 participating schools.

The kickoff of this first of its kind competition took place across multiple venues across Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, with young boys and girls from Cycles two and three vying to rack up maximum points prior to the play-off phase.

In Abu Dhabi, football games took place at the Abu Dhabi Cricket Stadium, while Al Jazira Club hosted the basketball, volleyball, and handball championships, in addition to the Officers Club welcoming athletics participants.

In Al Ain football games were played at Al Ain Club whereas the Brighton College opened its doors for the basketball championship.

The championship launched amid a great turnout from registered teams, with many relishing the opportunity of participating in a competition of this magnitude and executed to world-class standards.

The young players were excited at the visit of Yousef Al Blooshi, Talent & Club Development Director at Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Subait Khater, former UAE football star and Houriya Taheri, the first female football coach in the UAE’s history, who came to observe the competitions and encourage the players to give it their all.

Some of the highlights included the following: in Athletics, The Model Private School recorded victories in the relay race over in cycle 2 and 3 for boys and girls at the Officers Club in Abu Dhabi. In football, Gems Winchester and Merryland International School got off to a flying start as they topped their groups in cycle 2.

Over in basketball, The Australian International school went toe to toe with Aisha Bint Abi Bakr school, with the former recording a last-minute buzzer to cap off an exhilarating matchup in cycle 3 for girls.

Commenting on the kickoff, Talal Al Hashemi, Abu Dhabi Sports Council’s Director of Abu Dhabi Schools Champions, said: “We are delighted to kick off the Abu Dhabi Schools Champions amid such a great turnout from participating schools.

Abu Dhabi Schools Champions acts as an ideal platform in embedding sports in their lifestyles and providing the UAE with a future generation of model professionals.”

Hussein Murad, CEO of Inspiratus, said: “Abu Dhabi Schools Champions was inaugurated to help youth commit to a physically, emotionally, and mentally healthy lifestyle.

Each week, the youth will experience a competition that includes seven popular sports they can practice creating a sports-conscious generation for the future.”

Partnering with Abu Dhabi Clubs, Abu Dhabi Schools Champions will create a pipeline of athletes for UAE clubs, through its talent identification platform.

Scouts attended various games to identify and select talents for their teams and scouted talents will undergo a selection process with rounds of trials and annual announcements for selected players.

ADSC is open to all public and private schools, free of charge, encouraging the youth of Abu Dhabi to be active, gain tournament exposure at world-class standards and to be discovered by Abu Dhabi clubs, which has attracted a great wave of schools to register in the biggest sporting competition in Abu Dhabi.

The Finals will be held in Abu Dhabi and will include a community festival with an awards ceremony announcing the winners and recognizing outstanding athletes.

Prizes include professional training camps with Abu Dhabi Sports Council’s global partners, trips to see live professional league matches and visit some of the world’s best sports clubs as well as tickets to global sports events organized by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, where they will meet the world’s best athletes.