Budding footballers can sign up for some pro tips from ex-Premier League players in Dubai later this year.
Jumeirah Beach Hotel and Football Escapes are bringing England footballers Michael Owen and Jamie Redknapp to the UAE for two seven-day-long coaching sessions.
Joining the former Liverpool players is YouTuber and co-founder of F2Freestylers, Billy Wingrove, who is famed for his footballing tricks, acrobatics and techniques.
The courses are aimed at children aged 5 to 15 and are organised by Football Escapes, a luxury travel company set up by players Rio Ferdinand, Bobby Zamora and premiership football coach Sam Hubert.
The company runs several coaching sessions in destinations across the world, from the Maldives and China to Portugal and Cyprus. Packaged as family holidays, the escapes are designed to give children one-on-one sessions with professional footballers and Uefa-qualified coaches, while parents relax in luxury properties.
In Dubai, courses will take place at the family-friendly Jumeirah Beach Hotel. There, parents will have a choice of 13 restaurants, five swimming pools, a spa and a private beach to keep them entertained. Residents in the UAE can also get involved by booking the coaching weeks as standalone packages, without hotel accommodation or flight costs.
Each course consists of daily two-hour sessions with the pros, and all children taking part get their own Football Escapes kit, a signed certificate and a completion medal.
From Saturday, October 17, until Saturday, October 24, super-striker Owen will take children through their footballing paces under the sail-shaped shadow of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel.
Redknapp and Wingrove will take over the reins for a second course set to run from Saturday, October 24, until Saturday, November 1. The former Liverpool midfielder and Sky Sports presenter will partner with the ex-Tottenham Hotspur Academy freestyle footballer Wingrove. The pair are set to share tricks and skills, while offering up a fun-filled week of football.
All-inclusive trips including flights with Emirates cost from £6,660 (Dh30,117) per family. Coaching sessions cost from £650. The company says all deposits will be fully refundable if any travel or session are cancelled due to coronavirus complications.
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Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
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Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
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Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
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Manchester City 4 (Gundogan 8' (P), Bernardo Silva 19', Jesus 72', 75')
Fulham 0
Red cards: Tim Ream (Fulham)
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Oct 26: Bloemfontein
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- Join parent networks
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The biog
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Occupation: Specialised chief medical laboratory technologist
Age: 78
Favourite destination: Always Al Ain “Dar Al Zain”
Hobbies: his work - “ the thing which I am most passionate for and which occupied all my time in the morning and evening from 1963 to 2019”
Other hobbies: football
Favorite football club: Al Ain Sports Club
Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
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Featherweight Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB)
Lightweight Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) v Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG)
Featherweight Yousef Al Housani (UAE) v Mohamed Arsharq Ali (SLA)
Catchweight 69kg Jung Han-gook (KOR) v Elias Boudegzdame (ALG)
Catchweight 71kg Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
Featherweight title Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
Lightweight title Bruno Machado (BRA) v Mike Santiago (USA)
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Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
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