Dubai Sports Council’s player development programme begins with lectures at Hatta, Al Nasr clubs
- 01 Mar 2021
Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
Dubai Sports Council’s (DSC) development programme for professional players of Dubai football companies is in full swing with Avram Grant, the former Chelsea and Israel national football team manager, having already visited two clubs to deliver lectures and share his experience with the players.
Grant, who has also managed the Ghana national team and English Premier League clubs Portsmouth and West Ham United, kick started the programme with a visit to Hatta Club last week, where he delivered two lectures – one for elite youth players and the second for the Senior players of the Hatta Football Company.
On Sunday, he was at Al Nasr Club delivering two separate lectures for the elite youth and senior players of the club and Al Nasr football company, and he will host similar sessions in the coming days at Dubai’s other two football companies –Al Wasl and Shabab Al Ahli Dubai.
The programme was launched at Hatta Club, in the presence of Ali Abdullah Al Badwawi, Executive Director of Hatta Club and Hatta Football Company; Rashid Amer, Sports Director of Hatta Football Company; and Adil Al Bannay, Head of Football Companies Section at Dubai Sports Council.
Grant’s second session at the headquarters of Al Nasr Football Company took place in the presence of Saeed Al Amiri, Executive Director of Al Nasr Football Company; Abdul Rahman Mohammed, a member of the Board of Directors of Al Nasr Football Company; Salah Jalal, Director of the First Team, Ali Omar, Director of the Sports Development Department at Dubai Sports Council, and Adil Al Bannay, Head of Football Companies Section at Dubai Sports Council.
Grant, who started his coaching career at the age of 18 as a youth coach of his home-town team Hapoel Petah Tikva in Israel in 1972, focused in his lectures on identifying the mental strengths of players and integration of elements that lead to victory, which include five factors that make a successful player: talent, enthusiasm, fighting spirit, mental strength and self-confidence.
Grant shared his experience of coaching international clubs and national teams, and stressed that all teams in the world work according to these elements.
A successful player must be fundamentally talented, but talent alone does not lead to success and it must be combined with continuous training and enthusiasm in training and playing, and the desire to win as well as the enjoyment of playing.
The successful player, and also the successful team, is one with a strong mindset, self-confidence, and the ability to achieve victories, whatever the challenges, Grant said.
The veteran coach also talked about how to compensate for differences in talent levels between players through enthusiasm in training, competitiveness on the field and strength of character.
The coach also gave examples from other sports about players' efforts to develop their abilities, and the extra effort that each player makes to develop his capabilities and enhance his position in the team, or his presence in the ranks of champions.
Grant stressed that the focus of his lectures is to motivate and show players the right mentality in determining a successful career, without Interfering with the technical matters determined by the coach of each team. He urged the players to be the best in their position and work on continusly analyzing their performance and benefit from the opinions of specialists, develop their strengths and address their weaknesses in order to become successful players.
Grant expressed his happiness to work with the Dubai Sports Council on this ambitious program, which aims to enhance the performance and results of Dubai club teams. He also expressed his happiness to meet with talented players from the youth and first team.
Approved by Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, the programme, which is being organized under the slogan “Your career is your future”, is an important addition to the Council’s continuous effort to develop players and the coaching staff at Dubai football companies and sports clubs, as well as the administrative and technical staff.
The program aims to enhance the professional status and awareness of players on the rolls of Dubai’s four football companies by involving the players, both Emiratis and overseas professionals, in the companies’ corporate social responsibility programs as well as in promotional events for sponsors and products, and the club’s merchandise stores. The player engagement will lead to a positive
growth in the fanbase of football companies, as well as greater exposure for their corporate partners, and consequently an increase in revenues.
The programme also seeks to educate players on lifestyle changes that would enhance their status as professionals, and also inform them about global best practices as well as encourage them to take football as a full-time profession.
The program will involve more than 200 football players, both Emiratis and overseas pro, playing for the first and Under-21 teams of Dubai’s football companies, as well as elite players from the 14 to 19 age group.
The program will involve educational workshops and courses, as well as special classes for overseas professionals to introduce them to the culture and history of UAE, and teach them the Arabic language. The program will also educate players about the importance of planning their future, both as a player and beyond.
