2 CONTENT 3 6 EDITORIAL 4 10 QUICK FACTS 6 THE TRI-SERIES EXPERIENCE 10 HOSTING THE WORLD 14 GENERATION 1998 (U18) 16 TOURNAMENTS 1998 (U18) 18 GENERATION 1999 (U17) 26 TOURNAMENTS 1999 (U17) 28 ABOUT EVERY PLAYER IS A PROJECT 40 GENERATION 2000 (U16) 42 TOURNAMENTS 2000 (U16) 44 40 ASPIRE ACADEMY GENERATION 2001 (U15) 56 TOURNAMENTS 2001 (U15) 58 Aspire Academy first opened its doors in 2004 and is considered to be one of the leading sports CREATING THE ENVIRONMENT OF EXCELLENCE 70 institutions in the Middle East. The Academy offers an integrated educational programme of GENERATION 2002 (U14) 72 sports development, sports science and acade- TOURNAMENTS 2002 (U14) 74 mic learning to boys aged 12 to 18. The school GENERATION 2003 (U13) 86 develops well-educated sports champions and TOURNAMENTS 2003 (U13) 88 aims to become the world’s leading sports aca- demy for young athletes by 2020. INDIVIDUALISE YOUR TRAINING 100 GENERATION 2004 (U12) 102 TOURNAMENTS 2004 (U12) 103 70 GENERATION 2005 (U11) 106 IMPRINT TOURNAMENTS 2005 (U11) 107 Publisher: Aspire Academy, PO Box 22287, Doha, Qatar. Photo Credits: GENERATION 2006 (U10) 109 Aspire Academy. Content: Aspire Academy Football Operations / Aspire Academy TOURNAMENTS 2006 (U10) 110 Marketing & Communications Department © 2016 Aspire Academy 4 5 in over the year. And since we organise it, it’s possible for us to adapt the format according to our ideas in terms of age, size of pitch and rules to make sure players get the most out of it. Having joined the Academy, the Tri-Series ex- poses our players on a regular basis to interna- tional opponents, whereby our players have an opportunity to test themselves against different playing styles, philosophies and models of foot- ball from all over the world. This format creates the right atmosphere for them to develop a com- petitive spirit and it prepares them step by step for qualifiers and final tournaments with Qatar, such as the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship that takes place in October in Bahrain. The Tri-Series does not only prepare players for these tournaments, it also gives the coaches of Qatar’s national teams the chance to constantly see players of different age groups competing at a high level, some of whom may be suitable for their team. This again perfectly summarizes the purpose of the above competitions, which is preparing players for official matches. Since Academy teams build the foundation of Qatar’s national youth teams, we sometimes add a bit of patriotic flavor to the Tri-Series by inviting federations from countries like Iran, Denmark, Croatia and Mexico to compete with the Maroon shirts. The concept of the Tri-Series has turned out to EDITORIAL: be a successful one. It creates the set-up for our players to compete, compare and improve and most importantly, it makes them eager to aim CREATING A higher. Nevertheless, we never stop innovating and we will keep reflecting on the things we could tweak here or improve there to ensure COMPETITIVE the Tri-Series remains as effective for the parti- cipants as it has proven to be so far. Scouting, training, competition and assess- Playing is, of course, the most important school ATMOSPHERE ment are the pillars the philosophy of Aspire for our players and we try to give them as much Roberto Olabe Academy’s Football Department and, when the playing time as possible. Therefore we organi- Director of Football Tri-Series was launched in 2012, it was clear zed in cooperation with Qatar Foundation (QF) Aspire Academy from the very beginning that this tournament the “Aspire QF Junior League” for school child- would play a major role in the development of ren in Qatar. That gives boys in age groups U-7 our players. An approach to development that is to U-11 the chance to regularly compete at the not only focused on winning games and tourna- Academy. Also they play with their clubs in local ments, but also on preparing players mentally leagues. In order to increase the number of ga- for the games that really matter when they put mes for U-10 and U-11 players, we also started on the maroon shirt and represent Qatar from the “Aspire Football League” that gives our play- youth up to the senior level. ers and their clubs an extra competition to play 6 7 2. ORGANISING THE TOURNAMENT The tournament series presents a mammoth organisational task, involving several depart- ments within Aspire Academy. Every element is meticulous planned – across catering, transport, visas, flights, accommodation, interpretation, hiring referees, provision of medical care, PR and much more besides. The Football Opera- tions team from the Academy plays an import- ant role working with the clubs before their trips to handle visas along with a range of other orga- nisational tasks. 3. ON-SITE SUPPORT Once the teams arrive, they are welcomed by a team guide who accompanies them during their entire stay in Doha. Accommodation at Aspire Zone, in either the ‘Torch Hotel’ or the ‘Grand Heritage Hotel’, ensures the teams are only a short distance from where the games take pla- ce. Aspire Academy’s pitches are just a five mi- nute-walk away, so is the Academy’s cafeteria, where the visiting teams are served lunch and dinner. Medical assistance is provided by the Academy’s “Medical Centre.” QUICK FACTS 1. TEAM SELECTION 4. COVERING OFF THE FORMALITIES Each season, the Tri-Series brings club teams, Before the first match kicks off on the first day of Since it was launched in 2012, the Tri-Series has national youth teams and players from aca- the tournament, the team coordinators gather demy teams around the world to Doha. These in the morning for a technical meeting at Aspire played a major role in the development of Aspire teams are selected to participate in the tourna- Academy. There the clubs are given an overview ment according to specific criteria including the of the format of the tournament by Stephan Academy’s student-athletes. The tournament se- standard of youth development programmes in Hildebrandt, Head of Football Operations. The their countries as well as the profile and backg- rules are explained to them and they also get ries provides an opportunity for teams from the round of the teams themselves. Planning for the to meet the teams of people playing important forthcoming season has generally already been roles behind the scenes. Before lunch, the teams Academy to compare, benchmark and compete completed by the end of April. Each tournament are officially welcomed to Aspire Academy by schedule has to be coordinated with the inter- Football Director Roberto Olabe. against the best youth teams in the world. Below national and national playing commitments of the clubs and national teams as well as with the we explain some key features of the Tri-Series. academic year. 8 9 of their matches after the tournament. In additi- on, visiting teams receive a match report, which features analysis of their games against Aspire 5. MAINTAINING THE TEMPO OF 6. PENALTY SHOOT-OUT Academy. To ensure they receive an accurate re- GAMES port, teams must submit details of line-ups and The team with the most points after two games tactical formation to the scouting department The purpose of the tournament is to provide wins the tournament in their respective age before 12:30pm on match day. valuable match experience for players. So whilst group. In the event that two teams have the teams are able to bring on substitutes during the same number of points, the winner is decided 8. RECOGNITION game, opportunities to do so are limited to just on goal difference or if necessary, the total num- two substitutions during the second half. This is bers of goals scored. Whatever the final score, Each tournament concludes with an offici- designed to maintain the tempo and ensure that each game ends with a penalty shoot-out. In the al awarding ceremony. This takes place after games are fast flowing. After a player is taken event of a draw, the penalty shoot result deter- the last match on the third and final day of the off the pitch, it is not possible to bring him back mines the winner and the teams’ ranking. tournament, and every team receives a trophy on again. Players sent off in a match are usually in recognition of their efforts. The tournaments suspended for the next game. In the case of an 7. ACCURATE ANALYSIS are covered by local media, as well as by Aspi- appeal, the tournament committee can review re Academy’s own publications and channels individual cases based on examining video foo- All games are taped by Aspire Academy’s scou- including a TV-magazine on the Al-Kass Sports tage. ting department, and each team receives DVDs Channel, social media, information screens around the Academy and the Academy magazi- ne “CHAMP”. 10 It’s good to 11 hear about the regulations THE TRI-SERIES of the tournament and required procedures. So everyone is on the same page and the tournament EXPERIENCE will be a success. One of the clubs the Tri-Series featured in the 2015-16 season was “the Legend” Olympiacos FC. The 43 times Greek champion travelled to Doha in April 2016 and participated with three age groups. Let’s take a look back to a unique experience and find out what to expect from participating in the Tri-Series. Technical meeting Yia sou, Doha! The flight from Athens was super comfortable, and the airport is quite impressive! We are curious to see what else Qatar has to For sure, offer! it’s a must to get a tour through Aspire Academy.