More than 1,200 male and female players in varying age groups will be in action when the ‘Sixth Dubai Open Basketball Academies Championships’ roll off in Dubai, from September 29.

Organised by the Dubai Sports Council with an aim of enhancing efforts by attracting and developing sports talents, the annual competition will witness at least 80 teams in action in various age categories who will be involved in 300 matches during the first phase that is scheduled to conclude on December 8.

The second phase of the championship will be held from January until the end of the 2025 sports season.

Details of the sixth edition of this annual championship was announced at a press conference held at the DSC headquarters, on Thursday.

The announcement was attended by a host of dignitaries including Ahmed Salem Al Mahri, Director of the Sports Development Department at Dubai Sports Council, Mohammed Al Hammadi, Executive Director of the UAE Basketball Federation, Bassam Noufal, General Manager of Sport 360 and Qais Omar Al Shabibi, Captain of the UAE national team and star player of the Shabab Al Ahli Basketball Club.

“Announcing this competition gives us great pleasure as it falls within the framework of the Dubai Government’s plan for 2033, along with the Dubai Sports Council’s policy to attract and develop sports talents. We have seen in the past that competitions like this are a great platform for our players, from talented to amateurs, to discover their passion for sport. The tournament is also a major source for attracting and developing sports talents in basketball as it provides teams from sports clubs, private academies and the national team with the best pool of talented players,” Ahmed Salem Al Mahri, stated.

“Our goal is to provide a platform for challenge and fair competition to give clubs and private academies spread across Dubai the opportunity to choose the best talents to join their teams. We, at the Dubai Sports Council, will ensure that these talents continue to play and maintain their level until they reach a professional level,” Al Mahri added.

The DSC official was pleased to have Shabab Al Ahli star player Qais Al Shabibi at the announcement of the event. “We thank the UAE Basketball Federation for its efforts in supporting the tournament along with other Dubai Sports Council programmes. We also thank Sport 360 for providing support to organize this tournament. And above all, we are pleased to have the captain of the UAE national team, Qais Al Shabibi, who is a model of creative Emirati talent who has excelled with the UAE national team and with Shabab Al Ahli Club,” he further noted.

UAE Basketball Federation’s Mohammed Al Hammadi vouched to continue working hard towards the success of the event. “The UAE Basketball Federation is more than pleased to provide all means of support for the success of this tournament. Finding and encouraging talent has always been our goal since the launch of this particular event, and especially for those players who are targeting age groups and academies. We thank the Dubai Sports Council for its continuous efforts to attract and develop such sports talents. We will always be ready to cooperate with the Dubai Sports Council in all their programmes, especially those targeting the academies sector. We wish success to all players participating in this competition,” Al Hammadi noted.

Bassam Noufal, General Manager of Sport 360, was glad to support such a worthy cause. “We thank the Dubai Sports Council for the trust it has placed in us to organise such an event. We are pleased to support a new generation in basketball, and we thank the academies and clubs for their willingness in participating. We are assured there will be a major development in this tournament, as there will be adequate attention paid to identifying outstanding talent to help them achieve higher levels in basketball. There will be several talent scouts from the organizing committee who will be present at all matches so that the best talents will be in a position to join the special talent programme launched by the Dubai Sports Council,“ Noufal said.

Qais Omar who is among the stars at Shabab Al Ahli Club’s basketball team was excited to see the fruit of such an event. “I thank the Dubai Sports Council for organising such an event. The participation of more than 1,200 male and female players is already a great achievement. I have noticed that the number of participants has been increasing every year since the launch of this tournament, and this is something that makes me proud to be part of this wonderful growth,” Qais Omar remarked.

“I thank all those involved in organising this tournament, because such a tournament can only help develop basketball in the country. We hope that this tournament will continue with an increase in the number of participants. I encourage families and players to participate in such competitions that help discover their innate talents and increase their passion for the sport, something that is such an important factor for young people. I also advise young players to follow the instructions of their coaches and focus more on playing and performing to their best simply because the coach knows what is best for us. This competition is also developing every day and they must keep up with this development and maintain their motivation and drive to reach the podium,” he added.

Players from different age groups from 8 to 18 year olds will participate in the tournament. The players will be divided into several groups in each category, with each group consisting not less than six teams.

Matches will be conducted three days a week, and games will be supervised by referees accredited by the UAE Basketball Federation.