Key to a Successful Business: Find your niche - Ali's Words

No matter what business you’re in, it’s extremely important to spot the gap in the market and find your niche. When I began working on the idea to set up the TFA, I was well aware that the gap in the Dubai Academy map was a lack of focus on senior football. As I mentioned in my previous write-up, I was amazed to see that while there were several academies working with kids under 13, there were very few that catered to kids under 18. So clearly, there was little or no interest/focus on senior football.

Therefore, when I founded TFA, I started off with an Under 18 team. It was the only academy in the country at the time that was working with only one Under 18 team. And the reason I chose to do so was that I thought it wasn’t fair on the footballers to be developed from the age of 5 to 16 only to be dropped later on for lack of plans or pathways.

I had found my niche as a businessman and I wanted to give it my all. So on January the 1st, 2016, TFA was opened officially. We worked with 22 young, ambitious, and talented boys who were keen to make it big in football. Back then, everybody in Dubai was saying that no player from Dubai would go pro. But we proved them wrong by winning the Under-18 League in 2017 and then again in 2018.

Many of the players from TFA went on to obtain scholarships in the US as well as Canada. Some even went on for pro trials. Whether or not they made it big in football is not the question here. The point is that they were given the due guidance and pathway they needed to showcase their talent and try their luck.

So remember, in any kind of business you need to observe the market and find your niche. Then make a plan and work on it full throttle. For me, the niche in the football market back in 2016 was senior football. I focused on my business model and fortunately, it turned out to be a big success.