Aspire Zone’s outdoor football pitches have witnessed an influx of local, regional and international football fans this week as hundreds of keen spectators have shown up to watch FC Bayern Munich’s training sessions.
The Bundesliga giants will be having their annual winter training camp in Doha until January 11 as they prepare for the second half of the Bundesliga season, as well as its upcoming matches in Europe’s premier tournament, the UEFA Champions League.  
 The team’s winter training camp this year is led by internationally acclaimed Italian coach, Carlo Ancelotti, and comprises some of the biggest footballing icons in the history of the game. These include FIFA World Cup 2014 winners, Philip Lahm, Manuel Neuer, Thomas Muller, Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Xabi Alonso, and Arturo Vidal.
 Commenting on their visit to Aspire Zone for the past five years to attend Bayern Munich’s open training sessions, Mohamed al-Dumaikhi, President of the FC Bayern Munich Fans Association in Kuwait, said: “Being able to watch FC Bayern Munich’s players up-close during training is a great opportunity for fans and one that is much more enjoyable than seeing them from afar during matches.”
  “When one of the world’s greatest football clubs such as Bayern Munich chooses Aspire Zone as its preferred destination to train for the seventh consecutive year, that is an indicator of Aspire Zone’s world-class capabilities. It truly is one of the best sporting destinations in the world and you can see why the world’s top teams come back year after year,” he concluded.
 Meanwhile, Founder of the Association, Abdullah Dashti, added: “When you compare Aspire Zone to similar facilities I’ve seen throughout my years of travel, I can honestly say Aspire Zone is definitely on way above par compared to its European counterparts, and the Aspire Dome and Aspetar can truly be seen as beacons of excellence. The comprehensive sporting services, facilities, and programmes Aspire offers can easily compete with the world’s most established sporting organisations in hugely developed footballing countries such as Spain, Italy and England. That’s why the Dome and pitches continue to attract the world’s best teams every year.”
The training sessions also attracted international tourists who are in town to soak up some winter sun. Yesterday’s session was attended by family of Dutch tourists who are spending their winter break in Doha and they made a special stop at Aspire Zone to enjoy watching Bayern’s stars train.
Sixteen-year-old Jasper Bultman expressed his excitement at being able to watch his favourite Dutch player, Arjen Robben, while in Doha.
His father commented, “We’re very impressed with Aspire Zone, it’s a green oasis in the middle of a desert. There’s a delightful atmosphere here and everyone we have met has been very inviting. Our children are huge football fans and they kept insisting on attending Bayern’s session to see Arjen Robben and even though today’s our last day we made sure to visit. It was well worth taking the time and we’re all thrilled to have been able to see them and get so close to them.”