Pyramids FC have taken a significant step towards developing their young players by launching a reserve team, moving ahead of Egyptian rivals Al Ahly, who previously considered a similar initiative but eventually abandoned the plan.
The project, driven by club president Mamdouh Eid, is intended to give emerging talents regular opportunities to demonstrate their abilities in competitive matches and create a clearer route into the senior squad.
Rather than leaving young players to wait for opportunities in the first team, Pyramids want to assess their progress through a dedicated reserve side. The club has already moved beyond the planning stage, assembled a squad and begun arranging friendly matches as it works to establish the project.
The initiative places Pyramids among the Egyptian clubs taking practical steps to strengthen their youth development structures, while putting pressure on bigger teams such as Al Ahly to reconsider how they prepare their emerging players for senior football.
Al Ahly had previously explored the possibility of establishing a reserve team during Martin Jol’s time as the club’s technical director. However, the idea was ultimately dropped before it could be implemented.
Mamdouh Eid leads the project with Mokwena’s involvement
The decision to establish Pyramids B was reached through coordination between club president Mamdouh Eid, sporting director Hani Saeed and first-team coach Rulani Mokwena.
The three officials agreed on the need to create a reserve side that would allow the club to monitor its younger players more closely and identify those capable of progressing to the senior team.
Moatasem Salem has been appointed to lead the reserve team’s technical staff, with Khaled Abdullah serving as his assistant. Their responsibilities include preparing the players, assessing their performances and tracking their development.
The new side has already taken its first steps on the pitch, playing a friendly against Mansheyet Helwan.
Pyramids B secured a 3-0 victory, with Ali Hamouda, Younes Mohamed and Mohamed Saad finding the net to give the project a winning start.
The result provided the coaching staff with an initial opportunity to assess the players in a match environment, rather than relying solely on what they observe during training sessions.
Reserve team gives 23 players an opportunity
One of the main objectives of the initiative is to give the technical staff a broader view of the club’s young talent by allowing more players to feature in matches.
During the friendly against Mansheyet Helwan, the coaching team used two different line-ups across the two halves, providing opportunities for a large group of players to demonstrate their abilities.
Pyramids began the match with Mahmoud Gad in goal, while Hassan Hesham, Abdullah Badir, Marwan Saber and Omar Abdel Azim formed the defensive line.
Youssef Eid, Malek Moatasem, Hassan Tarek, Youssef Misho and Omar Sabry featured in midfield, with Ali Hamouda leading the attack.
A number of changes were made after the interval as the coaching staff continued its assessment of the squad.
Ziad Haitham, Mohamed Mostafa, Wael Mohamed, Walid Mohamed, Ahmed Ali, Ahmed Mostafa, Ahmed Mohi, Younes Mohamed, Hamza Ali, Mohamed Saad, Magid Hossam, Ahmed Adel and Saleh Amr all featured in the second half, while Marwan Saber remained on the pitch.
The use of two formations allowed the coaching staff to give more players valuable playing time and gather information about their performances.
For Pyramids, the reserve team is intended to serve as more than a platform for young players to gain experience. It will also provide a way to identify those who are ready to step up when the first team requires additional options.
With the first friendly completed and the technical structure in place, the club has begun putting its plans into practice. The longer-term aim is to build a group of players capable of making the transition to the senior side, giving Pyramids a more organised approach to developing talent for the future.
