@ZayedSportsCity PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS FROM ALL OVER WORLD HEAD FOR WINTER TRAINING IN ABU DHABI

Almost 400 professional footballers from five international teams and seven leading club sides are using Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi to stay at the top of their game during the winter months.
The players – from top sides such as Germany’s Wolfsburg and Hamburg and England’s Newcastle United - have been taking part in training camps at the state-of-the-art facilities.
Zayed Sports City has been a destination for football teams since 2010 and has played host to numerous training sessions and friendlies since then, such as Brazil against Iran and the UAE national team against Manchester City.
The number of pitches at the facility has increased to 16 over the last few years to cope with demand from teams keen to train in a warm climate. This year Zayed Sports City has welcomed significantly more teams than in previous years.
Among those welcomed to the UAE capital are Sweden, Norway, Poland, Iceland and Moldova as well as top European club teams Wolfsburg and Hamburg from the German Bundesliga, Newcastle United from the English Premier League and Belgian club Anderlecht.
Fitness and team building sessions on Zayed Sports City’s training pitches have run alongside international friendly matches in the National Stadium.
Speaking after a friendly against Poland, Norway manager, Per-Mathias Høgmo - whose training squad included former Premier League star Morten Gamst Pedersen – said he was delighted with the organisation of the trip and that he would have no hesitation returning.   
“We have had an excellent stay here,” he said. “Of course we would come back.
“The facilities have been great and the hospitality has been excellent. The pitches at the training grounds are very high class – the grass is excellent. It is the same here in the stadium; the pitch is very high class.
“It has been very important for us to play games against good opposition as we have done here. The organisation has been very good.”
During their downtime, the players have been able to get out and see some of what the county has to offer.
“We have been here ten days and have been out to see some of the country,” continued Per-Mathias. “The players have been to Dubai and they enjoyed it.”
Many of the team’s trips are organised by Royal Concorde Sports Management (RCSM) - who have been bringing teams to the UAE for a number of years.
“All of the international friendlies that have happen here this January have been organised by us. It’s something we are very proud of,” said Souhaib Mishmish, CEO of RCSM.
“We are very proud to be able to bring these teams to this great country and show what the UAE has to offer.
“The facilities here at Zayed Sports City are something special. I have been all over the world and these compare to the best that I’ve seen.
“We have big plans for the future and we look forward to bring more teams to the UAE in the future.”  
Barry Bremner, general Manager, Zayed Sports City, said: “The UAE, and more specifically Zayed Sports City, is the perfect place for teams from all over the world from all leagues to come and train.
“We are capable of hosting multiple top-level matches in a short period of time. This January, for example, we have hosted over 11 international friendlies in less than three weeks.

“Our grounds team work tirelessly to ensure our pitches are in perfect condition to meet the needs of individual teams. Based on the success we have had with partners such as RCSM we are reviewing our strategy to provide additional onsite services and accommodate even more teams in the future.”