Abdoulaye Doucoure makes surprise visit as new Everton stadium deal struck

Abdoulaye Doucoure has been hailed as an “inspiration” after interrupting his summer break to watch a junior team in Dubai train.

The Blues midfielder surprised Taaleem’s TC United - a school-based ‘Love the Game’ football programme comprising many schools within the UAE – as they geared up for a summer competition. Doucoure said: "It was great to drop in on the youngsters and I had a great time. I was really impressed by their skills and wish Taaleem every success going forwards."

Vinnie Burden, Taaleem’s TC United Programme Lead, was fulsome in his praise for the Mali international for unexpectedly dropping in on their preparations. He said: “It was a truly memorable experience for everyone when Abdoulaye joined us to watch us train and prepare for this summer’s Helsinki Cup. His visit was more than just an appearance – it was an inspiration!

READ MORE: Everton told transfer value of potential Jarrad Branthwaite replacement

READ MORE: Everton takeover - Farhad Moshiri warned as 'unique' Dan Friedkin will have new stadium vision

“His passion for the beautiful game shone through while he answered all our players' questions and offered invaluable insights and advice. Not only that, but his insistence on staying for the whole session, in order to meet and watch each student play, made everyone involved feel seen and encouraged.”The midfielder's impromptu visit follows Everton’s first foray into the Middle East last summer, when the club’s International Soccer Schools Programme expanded into the United Arab Emirates for a two-week camp, attended by more than 200 boys and girls.

That camp, held at Greenfield International School – where Burden teaches – saw youngsters from Taaleem TC United benefit from the experience as fully-qualified coaches, using the same curriculum used by staff at the world-renowned Everton Academy, placed an emphasis on creating a fun and welcoming environment in which to learn.

Burden added: “This year our Love the Game schools programme has reached great heights, thanks largely to the support of many others. Abdoulaye was the perfect role model for our TC United students and it marked a great way to end this year's efforts, which included hosting Everton FC international coaches over at Taaleem for the first time.

“A special thanks to Abdoulaye and so many others at Everton Football Club. Our young athletes are now more motivated than ever to work hard, play with a smile, and seize every opportunity to shine.”

Everton’s International Soccer Schools Programme is already well established in the USA, with thousands of children taking part in camps across 16 states in 2023 and the programme expanding to at least 20 American states this summer, along with two Canadian provinces. As the club’s international strategy, launched in April 2021, continues to evolve, the programme will continue to expand in the coming years, with plans in place to continue developing the Soccer Schools initiative in other parts of the world.

For more information about Everton’s International Soccer Schools and Academy Affiliate programmes, or to enquire about becoming affiliated with Everton, click here.

New Everton Stadium feature that can be seen for miles being put in place as WiFi deal struck

With the fixtures for Everton’s final season at Goodison Park having been announced this week and confirmation that the visit of Southampton on May 18, 2025, will be the last game, the move to the club’s 52,888 capacity future home has come into focus.

Barrel roofing on the west stand, which can be clearly viewed across the Mersey, at Everton’s new stadium continues to be put in place while there are excavations on the western elevation in preparation to reinstate the water channel. Meanwhile, the Blues have signed a multi-year agreement that will see HPE Aruba Networking, a leading provider for enterprise network infrastructure, to become an official supplier of Everton Stadium, providing a secure and intelligent networking infrastructure solution.

The system, currently being installed at the club’s future waterfront home, will include switches, access points, WiFi and wired network management and security software, as well as network design, management and monitoring services.

HPE Aruba Networking is a business unit of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and a leading provider of next-generation networking solutions. The deal means the global edge-to-cloud company will provide a comprehensive networking infrastructure across the footprint of the site.

HPE Aruba Networking’s solutions will enable Everton to develop its connected stadium strategy and use state-of-the-art digital technologies to create an engaging fan experience for all visitors once the venue opens at the start of the 2025/26 season, inviting supporters to stay longer and enjoy the impressive facilities that the new stadium has to offer.

In other off-the-field news at the club, the vote for positions on the Fan Advisory Board launched on Monday night with two positions up for election – one for a shareholder and one for a Football Supporters’ Association member. Voters - any fans who had an Everton supporter number as of May 1, 2024 - are asked to choose one candidate in each category.

The vote will run until 11.59pm on Sunday, June 30 and the result will be confirmed on club and FAB channels w/c July 1. For all the details you need to take part, click here.