Bishar Abdullah: Attracting world-class coaches for young players to build a professional sports generation

Bishar Abdullah, Acting Director General of the General Authority for Youth and Sports, affirmed that the primary objective of the project to recruit world-class coaches to work with the under-12 age group in football clubs is to invest in the youth and build a professional generation of athletes through a sound foundation.

He stated this yesterday at a press conference dedicated to launching the project to recruit 15 world-class coaches, distributed among the 15 clubs to work with the under-12 age group, in cooperation with the Football Association.

Abdullah said that the under-12 category is one of the most important stages in laying the foundation for a player and shaping their sporting personality. He explained that a proper foundation helps the player develop better, understand the game faster, and build a solid technical and physical base that can be built upon in subsequent age groups.

He clarified that the project is being launched in cooperation with the Football Association, which sent 150 CVs of coaches from various countries. He noted that these CVs were reviewed and personal interviews were conducted with a number of coaches based on specific criteria and conditions to select the appropriate candidates for the project.

He mentioned that among the key conditions for selecting coaches is that their ages range between 25 and 45 years, that they hold a coaching license at the "A" or "Pro" level, and that their experience is specialized in training youth age groups.

He added that the project has been well received by the International Football Federation (FIFA), noting that following the announcement of the project, several CVs from coaches who expressed their desire to participate were received after they became aware of the project's seriousness and objectives.

Abdullah said that the recruited coaches come from different football schools and countries, including Spain, Portugal, Serbia, Macedonia, and Croatia, emphasizing that the diversity in experience and coaching schools represents a significant addition to the project.

He pointed to the formation of a joint committee from the Authority and the Association to monitor the coaches' work through weekly supervision of training sessions and the preparation of periodic reports on progress. He explained that the project is open to modification and development whenever necessary to achieve its objectives.

He clarified that the Authority has agreed with the clubs to grant the coach full authority to make technical decisions related to their work, confirming that this is to ensure the optimal utilization of their experience and capabilities.

He noted that the project does not aim to create competition between clubs, but rather focuses primarily on qualifying and developing talents, discovering their capabilities, and refining them according to sound scientific and technical principles.

Abdullah expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the clubs for their cooperation and support of the project, pointing out the Authority's commitment to obtaining the clubs' approval before commencing implementation, which received their full support and attention to ensure the success of this initiative.

He revealed a future vision to expand the project in upcoming stages, either by recruiting a larger number of football coaches or by expanding into other sports. He also pointed to the possibility of providing internship opportunities for newly graduated national coaches to work alongside the recruited world-class coaches, benefiting from their experience, expertise, and technical capabilities.