ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 02nd May, 2023) The UAE Pro League on Monday organised the second UAE League Development Forum on 1st and 2nd May at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental- Abu Dhabi.
The event was attended by a group of specialists from FIFA, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and international lecturers in various disciplines and representatives of professional clubs and the media.
The first-day activities were inaugurated by a speech delivered by UAE Pro League chairman Abdulla Naser Al Jneibi, saying, “We are here to share with you our aspirations, hopes, and strategic plans for a better future for Emirati football, especially in light of the support of the UAE wise leadership that has spared no effort to support sports and athletes in creating an inspiring reality that motivates us to achieve a sustainable future.”
Al Jneibi added that the UAE Pro League believes in the important role being played by professional clubs and the media, so it was keen to engage them in all its initiatives to benefit from their fruitful ideas and discussions, hoping that the forum would result in reaching developmental and innovative proposals that create a better future for UAE football.
On the other hand, the UAE Pro League Development Forum aims to discuss the most prominent development initiatives in various aspects, taking advantage of the field visits conducted by the UAE Pro League team with experts from major international consulting firms, who will contribute to formulating the initiatives that were put forward for discussion during the forum.
Such ideas, initiatives, and studies would then be presented to the relevant authorities for further consultation and practical study during the upcoming season, after which the most appropriate recommendations are approved, before being referred to the General Assemblies of the UAE Pro League and the Asian Football Association (AFC) to implement what will be approved in the next season or according to what the relevant authorities deem appropriate. So the sessions witnessed extensive discussions on many files related to the development of all competitive competitions.
The first-day sessions of the UAE League Development Forum touched on ways of enhancing technological development.
Accordingly, Gareth Jennings, Technical Director of the UAE Pro League, presented the outcomes of the field visits to the UAE professional clubs. He also displayed the importance of ensuring continuous consultation with their sports and technical directors.
He also presented the most prominent proposals and practices made by club officials that aim at achieving the future strategic objectives set out by the UAE Pro League. These objectives are likewise in line with the 2030 strategy.
The first-day activities saw international footballer Andrés Iniesta participate, via Video Conference, as he talked about the experience of a professional player.
The Spanish star expressed his deep happiness at the participation of an elite group of experts during the UAE League Development Forum's discussions.
Iniesta talked about his long and deep relationship with the UAE. He was among the U-20 Spain's national team squad, which participated in the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
The former Barcelona captain asserted that he was happy to participate in that forum, which probes football development and players. "Surely, it is a positive initiative, and I was keen on partaking in it, despite being busy here because it is an excellent opportunity," he said.
Regarding his advice to players, he said, "Focus is essential to anything." All players must focus on fulfilling their dreams at the stadiums, which is related to what they want to accomplish during their football career. Even in normal life, if someone sets a goal for himself, it will require him to exert significant effort to reach his aim. This is closely related to football. Players must fight to make their dream a reality and achieve unprecedented success with their clubs or national teams."
"Players must know positive habits at a young age, and they must realize that football is not just a 90-minute match, but a whole life, which requires real intention and desire to achieve their goals inside and outside the pitch," Iniesta concluded.
The forum's first day concluded with a dialogue session about technical, commercial, and governance issues related to football.
The AFC Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Director of the AFC Competitions Division, Shin Man Gill, the arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Benoît Pasquier, and Elliot Arthur, a sustainability and climate communications expert, as well as the Chief Commercial Officer for Nottingham Forest, David Cook, spoke during this session.
On his part, AFC Deputy Secretary-General Shin Man Gill discussed the Asian experience of improving football across various leagues and how they developed. This was whether in Australia, Japan, or West Asian countries.
The AFC Deputy Secretary-General hailed the UAE League's development and the forum's ideas. He suggested some ideas to be studied by the Asian Football Confederation to narrow the gap between Asian national teams and clubs.
He also displayed the AFC's project regarding the Champions League competition. This will be held in an updated format during the upcoming season by changing the tournament's date to become more competitive.
Meanwhile, the arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Benoît Pasquier, stressed the importance of raising players' awareness regarding their legal aspects to know their rights and duties.
"I reviewed contract cases between players and clubs, which could be settled without financial losses, so creating good governance in contractual relations between players and clubs is a necessary matter, as such disputes could be settled by negotiation between all parties," Pasquier added.
On his part, Nottingham Forest's Chief Commercial Officer, David Cook, discussed the clubs' successes in financing their activities and contracts. He focused on marketing aspects and increasing revenues to serve football development and the league.
He noted that he lived in the UAE for several years, witnessing the enormous passion for football, which requires strengthening this relationship in terms of marketing and investment matters between the clubs and their supporters as fans' attendance is one of the main challenges for any league.
Meanwhile, Elliot Arthur, a sustainability and climate communications expert, presented a different vision and called for a greater response to climate change.
"Nowadays, the most influential means are the social media accounts of players and clubs, which have more impact on people worldwide than newspapers, so the clubs and players should play an important role in participating in the sustainability of football and football's good governance," he concluded.
