New Manchester City project could hand major boost to one international team | OneFootball

Manchester City’s latest Middle-Eastern football project could act as a significant boost to the future prospects of one international team set-up, it has been stated.

The Premier League giants, through their wider City Football Group network, have become increasingly involved in football development across the globe, and particularly in the Middle East through their presence in Abu Dhabi.

With deep-rooted ties to the region via the club’s ownership, Manchester City’s strategic influence continues to grow in off-pitch projects designed to align with long-term sporting visions.

Manchester City Football Schools already has a significant presence in the UAE, running programmes aimed at developing local footballing talent through coaching methods inspired directly by the Premier League club’s own academy.

These initiatives are not only designed to build strong grassroots structures but also to provide a sustainable footballing pipeline that may one day yield elite-level players for both club and country.

Now, in partnership with Al Jazira Club, a new youth development programme is set to further extend Manchester City’s influence in youth football. This collaboration could have long-term benefits not just for Al Jazira, but also for the UAE national team setup.

As relayed by The National, Al Jazira Club Junior Academy and Manchester City Football Schools believe their new programme can help produce future first-team players for the Abu Dhabi side and the UAE national team.

From the start of next season, the foundation phase (age 6-9) of the Al Jazira Club Junior Academy will be run by City Football Schools, identifying talent from a young age and offering a pathway that could one day result in a professional contract.

The new programme will see over 4,000 players, both male and female, train with City coaches weekly across nine venues in the UAE.

Simon Hewitt, City Football Group’s head of football operations in the Mena region, said: “We’re really excited to be working alongside Al Jazira Club Junior Academy to help develop the football stars of tomorrow in the UAE in what is the first step of a potential professional pathway.

“Al Jazira has been doing great work in nurturing local young players in Abu Dhabi for many years, and City Football Schools will now support those efforts. This is a unique opportunity to play our part with best-in-class coaches, who have trained at the Manchester City Academy in the UK, using the club’s world-leading methodology, and this will ensure the players’ development at these important early years.

“There will be weekly coaching sessions, plus opportunities for the players to play competitive matches, enter leagues like our very own Manchester City Abu Dhabi League and Manchester City Abu Dhabi Cup.

“We plan to travel internationally as well to ensure the best possible start to their journeys. Hopefully, in the future, we can see them flourish and move on to the full academy within Al Jazira Club and eventually the first team.”

Chris McCarthy, manager of the Junior Academy at Al Jazira, added: “This partnership will really help us at Al Jazira to progress the development of the six to nine-year-olds at the Club Junior Academy and not only allow more players to come through but also gain the important skills needed at an early age from City Football Schools’ elite coaching team.

“Al Jazira Club puts a lot of focus on developing the stars of tomorrow with many going on to represent the first team and the UAE national team, and this collaboration sets a pathway from six years old where players can make that a reality with hard work on this development journey.”

Data also included within the report revealed that over 100 players have already moved into professional academies after going through the City Football Schools programme.

With CFG’s influence growing and the link between City and Al Jazira strengthening, it is feasible that more formalised opportunities could emerge in the future – potentially even seeing standout young players from the UAE receive opportunities to train in Manchester.

While the programme is still in its early stages, its scale and ambition reflect CFG’s long-standing model of investing heavily in grassroots infrastructure to create long-term results.

If successful, this could ultimately provide a consistent stream of players into the UAE national team — while reinforcing Manchester City’s reputation as not just a club, but a global footballing ecosystem.