Less than 6 days to go till @dubai7s and HSBC and UAE national union put their shirts on players of the future!

Eight UAE school rugby teams will make history when they compete in the first ever National Schools tournament at the Emirates Dubai Rugby Sevens.

Al Maarif School, Al Safa School, Al Sharawi School, Al Wuheida School, Sharjah Youth Centre, STS Al Ain, Emirates National School, and Vocational Education Development Centre, are the schools involved.

All eight schools are involved with the UAERF Player Pathway Programme which is helping to grow the game of rugby in the Emirati community.

And to mark the occasion, the captains of all eight school teams were presented with new playing shirts and training kit when they were guests of sponsors HSBC and the UAE Rugby Federation at Emaar Square.

UAERF Secretary General, Qais Al Dhalai, told the captains how excited he was about them competing at the Emirates Dubai Rugby Sevens.

He said: “When we launched the Player Pathway Programme our vision was to encourage young Emiratis to take up the sport and get the chance to represent their country one day.

"This is a great milestone for the programme, and we are looking forward to supporting the teams next week at 7he Sevens. It will be a fantastic occasion for all involved with UAE rugby, and I would also like to extend our appreciation to the General Authority of Sports and Youth Welfare, along with the National Olympic Committee, for their continuous care and support for the Player Pathway Programme."

The HSBC backed programme was launched in 2011 and has since encouraged over 2,000 Emirati boys to take up rugby for the first time – with over 1,000 of those now involved in regular rugby through 25 schools across the Emirates. The programme has also unearthed eight international players, some of whom will be competing for their schools at the Emirates Dubai Rugby Sevens next weekend.

UAE national and rising star, Yousif Lashkari, is one such player, who at age 16 became the youngest ever UAE senior international when he played at the HSBC Asian Sevens Series in October this year.

“We need the support of local entities like the UAERF and HSBC to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves as Emirati players, aspiring to make our country proud when we represent the Emirates at regional and international tournaments," he said.

"Since I joined the Player Pathway Programme I have been working hard, and getting the chance to play in the Mumbai Sevens last October was a fantastic learning experience for me.

"Our focus right now is to do our best next week at the Emirates Dubai Rugby Sevens so we are looking forward to playing in our new kits!”

As Principal Partner of the Player Pathway Programme, HSBC supports the work of the UAERF through the supply of playing/training kit, expertise from its global rugby ambassadors and the creation of the first ever Arabic language coaching manual in 2012.

Marcus Hurry, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at HSBC UAE, has seen rugby in the UAE go from strength to strength and is very encouraged by what the future holds for today’s young players.

“It is hugely motivating to contribute to the growth of rugby in the UAE in this way," he said. "Today not only marks the official kit handover to all of the eight UAE rugby teams making their debut next week, but it also marks an important early milestone in the development of the Player Pathway Programme.”

HSBC is a long-standing supporter of rugby around the world, and in the Middle East the bank is helping to grow the game through a comprehensive year-round programme of rugby partnerships at all levels.

HSBC supports the sport from the grassroots all the way through to acting as main sponsor and official bank of the Emirates Dubai Rugby Sevens.