MOGADISHU,May 31,2011 - The Djibouti school soccer training center on Sunday won the week-long football tournament played in the Somali Capital Mogadishu for children between under 15 years of age drawn from eight football training centers.

According to the Somali Football Federation technical director Awil Ismail Mohamed the competition was meant to test the skills of the children based at the training centers, reopened by Somali Football federation in October last year. The training camps were closed at the end of 2009 due to violence in the capital which lead to looting of some centers.

During Sunday’s final match, boys from the school Djibouti soccer training center humiliated their rivals from Somali Political science University center hosts of the youth football tournament by 3-0.

“Now we have known the result of what we have been doing for the past several months—I see that the young boys are making development day after day and this is encouraging us to redouble our job,” said Somali Football Federation technical director Awil Ismail Mohamed.

The coach of school Djibouti’s winning team Hassan Ali Rooble was thrilled with the win. “My dreams really came true and I am very grateful to my boys who played well,” the coach told the media.

Somali Football Federation vice president Abdullahi Abow Hussein said that similar youth competitions will be held quarterly in a bid to encourage young boys at the training centers.

“You have shown a very good exhibition with high tactics and I am congratulating you on the success you approached” the Somali FA vice president Abdullahi Abow Hussein said as he was presenting the cup to the captain of School Djibouti Center team

The eight youth training centers in the government-controlled side of Mogadishu are holding at least nine hundred youths of different ages including former street boys and former child soldiers who were rehabilitated by Somali Football Federation.