City Football Group and Al Jazira Club announce strategic football collaboration

Abu Dhabi, September 9, 2025: City Football Group (CFG) and Al Jazira Club have announced a new collaboration agreement focused on supporting the Club’s long-term football development through strategic consultancy. The new agreement will expand upon CFG’s existing consultancy work with the Al Jazira Academy and extend to include advice across other key areas of football strategy.

For the past two seasons, CFG has supported Al Jazira Academy by providing expertise in coaching methodology and education, technology, facilities, and operations – building on the Academy’s strong foundations. This collaboration aims to attract top talent and nurture future stars, following successes like the U21 team’s remarkable double win of the Emirates Cup and Super Cup in the 2024/25 season.

Beyond the Academy, CFG will now advise on best practices in the fields of talent identification, recruitment, player development and performance optimization. The collaboration will also include the sharing of know-how in data analytics and the identification of actionable data insights to support Al Jazira in pursuing its football ambitions.

For CFG, the partnership strengthens its presence in the region and opens new opportunities for knowledge exchange and local insights. This collaboration complements the CFG regional City Football Schools programs that currently have more than 3,000 students enrolled, and offers local young talent another avenue to continue their football journey.

“We look forward to expanding our work with Al Jazira Club across key, high-impact football projects. Because of our unique model, we bring a diverse global expertise, as well as a track record of successes around the world. Through the consultancy, we aim to share our unique insights and to contribute to the Club’s on-pitch performance. This collaboration is also an opportunity to contribute to the continued growth of football in the region, and we will work hard to do so,” said Olivier Turkel, General Manager at City Football Middle East.

“Collaborating with City Football Group underscores our commitment to world-class football development and reinforces our position as a regional leader and innovator. We take pride in the progress already achieved at our Academy, and we are confident that CFG’s proven expertise will elevate us further - enhancing talent cultivation and driving sustainable, long-term success across the Club,” said Jamal Saeed Al Nuaimi, CEO, Al Jazira Club.

ENDS

About City Football Club:

City Football Group (CFG) is the world's leading private owner and operator of football clubs – with 13 football clubs across five continents within the CFG family.

Established in May 2013, the CFG approach ensures that every club remains authentic to its fans and community, plays entertaining football and benefits from being part of a global organisation that applies the world's best expertise on and off the pitch.

CFG pioneers and delivers a consistent underlying approach to talent development, fan experiences, sports entertainment, commercial opportunities and community impact. Over 400 partner organisations are central to the CFG model and a commitment to positively shaping the future of football. More than one billion followers worldwide support and connect with their CFG clubs.

CFG clubs include Manchester City FC, New York City FC, Melbourne City FC, Yokohama F. Marinos, Montevideo City Torque, Girona FC, Shenzhen Peng City FC, Mumbai City FC, Lommel SK, ESTAC, Palermo FC, Bahia, and partner club Bolívar. 

CFG is majority owned by Newton Investment and Development LLC, wholly owned by His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed. Silver Lake, the global leader in technology investing, has been an investor in City Football Group since 2019, progressively increasing their stake to nearly 17% and actively contributing to CFG’S value creation.

About Al Jazira Club:

Al Jazira Club is one of the largest and most established clubs in the United Arab Emirates, distinguished by its rich history, passionate fan base, and constant pursuit of excellence on and off the field. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Al Khalidiya and Al Bateen clubs, and located in the heart of the capital, Abu Dhabi, the club has evolved into a major force in Emirati football, consistently competing for titles of the competitions in which they participate.

The club is nicknamed "The Pride of Abu Dhabi" due to its rich history of success, having won the Federation Cup in 2006, the Gulf Club Champions League in 2007, and the Pro League Cup in 2010 and 2025. The team won the Pro League title in 2011, 2017, and 2021 and they also won the President's Cup three times (2011, 2012, and 2016), the UAE Super Cup in 2022, and achieved a remarkable fourth-place finish in the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup.

The club is known for its support and development of local talents, operating one of the best football academies in the region. The club also provides talented players to the UAE national teams at all age levels and is known for singing some of the best international players and coaches. Al Jazira Club is an integrated sports and entertainment hub, offering world-class facilities, such as the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, the largest club stadium in the UAE, with a capacity of 35,000 spectators, and a covered Dome with a capacity of 2,000 spectators. The club also owns a hotel and an entertainment hub featuring padel courts, mini football field, and interactive football games.

Through its vision of innovation and growth, and its positive engagement with the local community and its commercial partners, the club continues to strengthen its position as a leading force in Emirati and Asian football and sports.