QFA, English FA to launch initiation phase of Qatar Football Family Grassroots Development Project

By Sports Reporter/Doha

Qatar Football Association (QFA), Qatar Stars League (QSL), Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, and Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence are cooperating with the English Football Association (FA) to kick-off the initiation phase of ‘FA-Qatar Football Family Grassroots Development Project’, a project that focuses and has a direct positive impact on the development of grassroots and amateur football in Qatar.

Created by the QFA, the idea of the project stems from the long-term relationship between QFA and the English FA which started over the past year for the purpose of cooperation, knowledge sharing, and advisory services. Through this project, QFA aims to support and develop the football scene in Qatar, grassroots in specific, and acknowledges that involving the stakeholders that makeup the ‘Qatar Football Family’ is vital in achieving the goals and objectives of the initiative.

The initial scope (Phase 1) of the cooperation between the FA and the Qatar Football Family will involve conducting an audit and assessment of the existing grassroots infrastructure and recreational football development in Qatar.

The FA held a two-day strategic workshop at Aspire Academy recently. The workshop addressed the difference between grassroots football in England and grassroots football in Qatar, vision of grassroots football in Qatar, benefits of grassroots football to the individual, community and the country, recreational football, and girls’ football. Additionally, other topics that were discussed concentrated on coach development, football and education, player pathways, conclusion, and next steps. 

The FA team that delivered the two-day workshop includes Les Howie, FA Associate Director of Grassroots Coaching, Martin Preston, Project Manager, FA Tesco Skills Programme, and Jane Bateman, FA Head of International Relations.