In November 2017 OSF was able to sign a MOU with the CEO of Al Jazira FC at the Dutch Embassy in Abu Dhabi. Al Jazira FC is a successful participant in the most recent Club World Cup in which it was finally eliminated in the semifinals by Real Madrid.
The agreement to cooperate was further developed on the 21st and 22nd of april 2018 by an OSF delegation represented by five companies: Game On Technologies, Metrica Sports, FootballEquals Foundation, GP Smart Stadiums and JB Promotions.
On Saturday evening, april 21st, the delegation visited the last home match of Al Jazira FC which was won 3-1. Immediately after the match, the delegation was able to get acquainted in an informal setting and exchange ideas with head coach Henk ten Cate. He used to coach FC Barcelona and won the Champions League with that team.
The next day the delegation presented themselves to the technical management of the club. The presentations were successful and will certainly be followed up. Subsequently, lunch took place in a smaller setting with OSF liaison Rashid Al-Suwaidi, whose father was one of the founders of the United Arab Emirates.
The short and exciting trip was then concluded with a network reception at the embassy offered by ambassador Frank Mollen. The Dutch CEOs of companies such as Adecco, as well as a heavy delegation of OSF partner FBMA – the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy were present. This underlined the presence and reputation of the Netherlands and OSF in Abu Dhabi. The FBMA was founded by “the mother of the UAE”, also mother of Sheikh Mansour, owner of Al Jazira FC and the City Football Group (a.o. Manchester City).
In this inspiring setting, Mary Kok then held an inspiring presentation on behalf of the FootballEquals Foundation. Henk ten Cate, present for the first time at the embassy during his three year stay at Al Jazira FC, embraced the initiative of Mary Kok and spoke for the establishment of a women’s team at his club. This gave all mission participants an excellent and satisfied feeling.
