Press Release

The future of Egyptian football and youth – Right to Dream Egypt Announces New Academy in Badya

Cairo, October 12, 2023

Right to Dream, the global community of football clubs and academies, is proud to announce the opening of its new Egyptian football academy close to Cairo in the new sustainable city of Badya.

This football academy is part of the Right to Dream global community of football academies for students aged 10 to 18.

The academy will operate the unique Right to Dream development model that provides both world class school education and football training. Students are offered pathways at highly respected professional clubs globally and renowned educational institutions in the US. Since 1999 this model has provided opportunities for over 300 students, some who have gone on to play in men’s and women’s FIFA World Cups, and others to Ivy League colleges in the US. Now the same model will be presented in Egypt giving the opportunity for the most talented boys and girls from across the nation to fulfil their potential. This comes in line with Egypt’s social development plans and public awareness strategy in promoting the importance of equality and inclusion in sports, as well as enhancing youth participation in shaping the future of their country and contributing to Egypt’s 2030 vision.

Right to Dream was acquired in January 2021 by Man Capital, the investment arm of the Mansour Group, the global conglomerate that was founded in Egypt in 1952. When announcing the deal, Man Capital’s founder and chairman, Mohamed Mansour, pledged to invest significantly in establishing an academy in Egypt.

Providing professional training and school education to both young boys and girls, Right to Dream will help to develop the future role models of Egypt using football as the platform of their growth.

The training facility and academy offer the following features:

  • 696,960 Square Feet Campus: The academy spans 16 acres in Badya.
  • Three Football Fields: Two natural grass fields and one artificial turf field.
  • Facilities: The training facility includes a 350-square-meter gym, a medical wing, and a building with 30 rooms to accommodate participants from Right to Dream academies in Ghana and Denmark. Additionally, a recreational area featuring a swimming pool, multipurpose court, and padel tennis court has been constructed.

“This new academy in Badya is an investment in the future of young men and women in Egypt. It is just as important to us that the Egyptian academy develops Egyptian role models as well as great footballers,” said Mohamed Mansour, Chairman, Right to Dream. “Everywhere where Right to Dream has operated to date, whether in Ghana in West Africa, in Denmark or in the USA, we have seen opportunities created and lives changed forever. We hope the young Egyptians who are enrolled in the academy today will have opportunities to follow their dreams – for them, we hope, the sky is truly the limit.”

Badya, the first sustainable city in Egypt and first smart city being built to the west of Cairo by Palm Hills Developments, was chosen as the optimum location for the academy to encompass the essence of the project. Palm Hills, chaired by Yasseen Mansour, is one of Egypt’s largest real estate developers and is part of the Mansour Group.