Bahrain inaugurated yesterday a first youth football academy of its kind in the world.
The Abdullah Bin Khalid Bin Hamad Academy was officially opened at the Bahrain Football Association (BFA) grounds at Isa Sports City in Riffa, in the presence of Supreme Council for Youth and Sport first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority (GSA) chairman, and Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
The academy, named after Shaikh Khalid’s son Abdullah, is a joint-initiative of the GSA, the BFA, and Fifa. It is officially the first worldwide under the Fifa Talent Development Scheme (TDS), which has so far benefited more than 200 of Fifa’s member associations across all confederations.
Also in attendance at yesterday’s milestone occasion were GSA vice-chairman Shaikh Salman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, BOC vice-president Shaikh Isa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, BFA vice-president Shaikh Khalifa bin Ali bin Isa Al Khalifa, GSA CEO Dr Abdulrahman Askar, and BOC secretary general Fares Al Kooheji, amongst other high-ranking Bahrain officials.
Legendary French football manager Arsene Wenger, who is Fifa’s global football development chief, was also on hand, as were Fifa legends Esteban Cambiasso of Argentina and Ali Al Habsi of Oman.
Wenger was all praise for Bahrain, saying that the kingdom has provided all that is required to be able to open this first academy under the Fifa TDS.
“When you look around here, it is absolutely sensational,” Wenger told local media. “The effort Bahrain have made, the dedication they have shown – we share a common vision, which is to prepare the best players in the world for tomorrow, and in this way, we are giving everybody with talent a chance.
“For that, you need good conditions, good quality of coaches, and expertise, and that’s what we found here and that’s why it is no coincidence that we have opened the first official academy here. All the ingredients are together.”
Bahrain-based Fifa talent coach Conor Marlin, who has been spearheading the TDS programme in the kingdom, said that the launch of the Abdullah Bin Khalid Bin Hamad Academy is just the beginning and the most important work is still to come.
“It’s a huge moment for developing the youth of Bahrain,” Marlin told the GDN yesterday. “I joined in October of 2023 with a blank canvas and we built towards this.
“We are now first in the world, and it means we have reached certain standards to be called a Fifa academy.
“A key moment was getting the support of His Highness Shaikh Khalid. We’ve come a long way in a short space of time, and we’re only at the start of the journey.”
Marlin stressed on the importance of young players with raw football skills being given the right guidance to further grow in the sport.
“The Fifa model is find, train, and play, and we are getting better in finding the talents,” he said. “We are finding them younger so we can train them more efficiently and more effectively.
“Personally based, increased contact time, and some skillful coaching – if you combine these things, it means we can give each talent a chance to maximise their potential.
“All players will need the opportunity to perform and showcase their talents, so across the find, train, and play model – and with the TDS support – the Abdullah Bin Khalid Bin Hamad Academy is going to really improve the football in Bahrain.”
Wenger noted that Fifa hopes to build as many as 75 similar academies around the world over the next few years.
“Our plan is to open 75 academies until the end of 2027, and once we have them in 75 different countries, we can see the impact we have all over the world,” he said. “This academy in Bahrain will definitely improve the quality of the players.”
The academy’s operations manager Ammar Dashti said that they are currently working with four teams of players born from 2009 to 2012.
“We have now a special focus on our 2009 team as there is an Asian under-17 tournament this year,” he noted. “We are working with them to grow them, play more international games, and follow the philosophy of Fifa.”
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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