The Mahd Sports Academy concluded its “Mahd Next Generation Championship” with a grand closing ceremony that crowned the champions and rising stars of Saudi football. The ceremony was attended by a distinguished group of sports leaders, including the CEO of the Mahd Sports Academy, Mr. Abdullah bin Faisal Hammad, the Deputy Minister of Sports for Media and Marketing, Mr. Adel Al-Zahrani, and the Vice President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Ms. Lamia Al-Bahyan, underscoring the strategic importance of the championship and its pivotal role in discovering and developing footballing talent in the Kingdom.
General context: Investing in the future within the framework of Vision 2030
This championship is one of the flagship initiatives of the Mahd Academy, established in 2020 as a pioneering national project aimed at cultivating a new generation of sporting champions. The academy's efforts fall within the broader framework of Saudi Vision 2030, which places great emphasis on developing the sports sector and enhancing its contribution to building a vibrant society and a thriving economy. Mahd is working to establish an integrated talent identification system from a young age across the Kingdom, providing a state-of-the-art scientific and training environment to hone their skills according to the highest international standards, thus becoming a cornerstone of the Kingdom's ambitious strategy to ensure the sustainability of sporting excellence.
The importance of the tournament and its expected impact
The “Next Generation Cradle Championship” derives its significance from being a high-level competitive platform that provides young talents with the opportunity to gain experience and exposure necessary for their development. Locally, the championship contributes to building a solid foundation of talented players who will form the core of clubs and national teams in the future. It also allows scouts and coaches to observe and evaluate the best talents in a truly competitive environment. Regionally and internationally, the success of such initiatives enhances the Kingdom’s position as a leading sports hub in the region and underscores its commitment to sustainable investment in sporting human capital, complementing its strategy of attracting international stars to the Saudi Professional League.
Tournament results and crowning of champions
The tournament witnessed fierce competition across three age categories, with 540 talented athletes from 12 teams participating in each category. More than 240 matches were held over 11 rounds. The final results were as follows:
- 2015 category: Al-Didi Academy won the title, while Mahd Academy came in second place, and Riyadh Schools Academy came in third place.
- 2016 category: Mahd Sports Academy achieved first place, Al Hazm Academy came in second place, while Al Hilal Club came in third.
- 2017 category: Al-Didi Academy won the title, Mahd Academy came in second place, and Al-Mutrif Academy came in third place.
Individual outstanding players were also honored, with Naif Turki Al-Wahish (Mahd Academy) winning the Best Player award for the 2017 category, Salah Mahmoud Salah (Al-Hazm Academy) winning the Best Player award for the 2016 category, and Mohammed Khaled Al-Wahaimer (Al-Hilal Club) winning the Best Player award for the 2015 category. The Mahd Academy teams reaching the final match in all categories is conclusive proof of the strength of its programs and the success of its methodology in developing players.
