Abdel Raouf Zaqout - Gaza

It was a very different night, when families, players, and enthusiasm came before them, after the Sports Academy invited them to witness a major event in the age of Palestinian sport, but none of them expected that the club’s management and from the Spanish city of Madrid would announce the signing of Real Madrid, one of the largest and most famous clubs The world in soccer game.

"Gaza has all slept happily." This is how the President of the Board of Directors of the Sports Academy, Rajab Al-Sarraj, described the day the contract was announced with the prestigious Spanish club, and the reaction of associates and the public in the Gaza Strip in general.

Months of communication and doorsteps that the academy administration fought with determination to reach its large and unexpected goal, culminated in a Palestinian achievement, the first of its kind at the level of the Gaza Strip, al-Sarraj told Al Jazeera Net.

a long trip
It was not easy in a city like Gaza. The Champions Club started in 2015 and faced many difficulties and crises in order to reach its fans and gain the confidence of a society that was not accustomed to the idea of ​​a sports academy and a family club.

The Academy has developed a strategic plan that succeeded in achieving many of its goals during the first five years, the most important of which is increasing the number of branches in the Gaza Strip to six branches covering all governorates of the sector, and increasing the number of games available to include football, basketball, table tennis, karate, squash, Tennis.

The sports club succeeded in including more than 120 athletes and technicians to the team, all of whom hold scientific sports certificates in their fields, in addition to nutrition and fitness coaches, which attracted about a thousand affiliates of all ages and their families.

Continuous achievements
The academy culminated in its great endeavor with its recent achievement by contracting with Real Madrid, which includes multiple programs implemented by the two clubs in relation to players and coaches, as explained by Mohamed Ragab, Vice-Chairman of the Academy of Champions.

Ragab added, "The first program that will be implemented with Real Madrid will be announced in the near future, as we will send a group of academic players to the Spanish club for training and friction in the global system, in addition to obtaining an official certificate from the Maringue Club."

Previously, the academy acquired the agency of "Reginal Sports" in Palestine and Jordan, which markets athletes and sports curricula in twenty European countries.

Ragab pointed out that "Champions" have achieved local and international achievements, the most important of which is the Palestinian Best Achievement Award from the Palestinian Football Association, participation in the second largest tournament in Europe (Dunste Cup), and obtaining first place in the karate championship at the level of girls in Palestine, and obtaining Distinguished participation in athletics, and the participation of players in teams.

Rajab stressed that sport is part of the interests of those in charge of the club, and that the social and humanitarian field is an important part as well, indicating that the club is keen to develop the family club idea and its multiple programs, and has established the first sports club for cancer patients in Palestine.

Sport and study
One of the remarkable things when talking to children affiliated with the Academy is the extent of the administration’s interest in the academic level of students, and monitoring their achievement with their schools and families on a monthly and periodic basis.

Abdullah Mushtaha (10 years), who finished second in the table tennis tournament at the Gaza Strip level, stressed that everyone in the academy is competing to be the "player of the month", because he gets high privileges.

The player of the month is the most distinguished player in all aspects, whether sports or study, and he is honored inside his school as well as inside the club, which created an atmosphere of high competition between the players.

Mushtaha, who holds an excellent rating (99.6) during the first semester, stressed that the club's management regularly communicates with his school to check on his academic achievement, noting that he is able to take time off from training in times of testing and intensive study.

As for the child Khaled Abu Shaban (12 years), he sees in the academy a great opportunity to reach the international level, and to represent Palestine in the sport of football at the level of the first team in the future.

On his experience traveling to Europe with the club, Abu Shaban says that he never forgets the club’s participation in the Donseti International Championship, as the experience of life outside Gaza is completely different, in terms of order, non-power outages, freedom of movement and many experiences.

Important accomplishments of Palestinian sports in the Gaza Strip, at a time when players are looking for an opportunity to play in Arab and international clubs, or to represent the Palestinian team without road blockages or a blockade that robs them of opportunities.