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The 17 lucky young players who will be traveling to London in July to take part in the Arsenal International Soccer Festival were picked over the weekend after an exciting two-day Bahrain Arsenal Soccer Schools' Festival held at the Bahrain Football Association in Riffa.
More than 47 schools and clubs attended the festival in the search for the 'chosen ones' needed to represent the kingdom. The 329 players, aged between 14 and 16, were judged by a panel of professional coaching staff.
Paul Shipwright, head of the Arsenal Soccer Schools, said: 'The festival went very well. Friday was obviously the big day in terms of numbers as it was the first day of selection. The participants took part in a six-a-side tournament that resulted in us inviting 52 back for the following day.
'On Saturday the Arsenal coaches and I put the teens through a training session showcasing how to play the Arsenal Soccer School way. I think they enjoyed it very much.'
The youngsters were then placed in teams for an 11-a-side tournament so that the judges could select the final squad.
Shipwright added that he was impressed with the talent displayed by the youngsters in Bahrain and believes they have uncovered excellent 'raw material' to work with. 'I think it is all very exciting and the Bahraini team will do well in a festival event we have planned for their London trip,' he said.
The annual soccer festival will give teenagers from all over the world the chance to get together for eight days and test their wits and skills against each other.
Bahrain's super 17 will train in the kingdom under the guidance of an Arsenal certified coach for three weeks in the buildup to the event. Coach Dina Rahman, 26, has been coaching for eight years and currently lives in London. She said: 'Paul Shipwright brought me over because I had been working at the Arsenal Soccer School in Egypt so I have an idea of how everything runs in the region.
'There is some really good young talent in Bahrain and we were very impressed with the standard of play.
'When picking a player we looked at their technical abilities, how comfortable they were with the ball, the fitness and tactical aspect as well as their strength and size.
'Overall, it has been a very impressive weekend and a nice trip to Bahrain. We are going to have a good squad ready for the tournament.'
All the players that participated at the festival were presented with a certificate of participation. The team chosen included five youngsters from Al Najma Club, three from Muharraq, two from Al Hala and one each from Itifaq, Qalali, Manama, East Riffa, St Christopher's School, Othman School and Awal School.
Joshua Smith, 15, a St Christopher School student, from Diraz, and one of the successful youngsters, said: 'This festival was an enjoyable experience. I love any chance to play football and when the school asked me to participate I was excited. The coaches were really helpful as well.'
