DOHA: Qatar Airways (QA) has announced its partnership with Aspire Academy to support this year’s Aspire Football Dreams project by forming ‘Qatar Airways & Aspire Academy – Football Dreams Africa’.
The project aims to empower the development of youth by identifying and training football talent.
The academy has begun scouting for talent in Africa. Once selected, finalists will be offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to train in Barcelona and play a friendly game against FC Barcelona’s youth team.
As FC Barcelona’s global main sponsor, QA has been associated with initiatives involving the football team to spread the love of football to all corners of the world.
QA Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said: “QA has a proud tradition of supporting meaningful, socially relevant initiatives and we believe that the project is an excellent opportunity to make the dreams of young footballers in Africa come true.
“We aim to use it as a platform to nurture budding football talent and highlight the effectiveness of sports as a key development tool,” he added.
“Giving young people in Africa the chance to fulfil their potential while being able to make a big step towards becoming a professional football player has been important for the academy and we are proud to have partnered with QA on the project,” said Ivan Bravo, Director- General, Aspire Academy.
Javier Faus, First Vice-President and Head of FC Barcelona Finance and Strategy Department, said: “This is one more example of the projects resulting from our sponsorship agreement with QA. Through this initiative, Barça is offering the possibility for young footballers from the African continent to be able to enjoy a unique experience and is reasserting its commitment to sport as part of education.”
QA welcomes fans to support the project by registering at http://www.qatarairways.com/footballdreamsafrica.
All registered supporters will be entered into a draw, and QA will offer 20 winners tickets to Barcelona and a tour of FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium.
The Peninsula
