Inclusive football coaching program by Qatar Foundation launching in August 2022

Share it!

Discuss here!

Inclusive football coaching program by Qatar Foundation launching August 2022

In a bid to make football more accessible, Qatar Foundation is launching its “Coaching the Coach” program which aims to provide mainstream football coaches, PE teachers, and other personnel involved in sports delivery with the skills needed to train children with disabilities. Set to launch in August, the program is now open for registration.

“One of the biggest barriers to inclusion of persons with disabilities in sports is lack of opportunities. With football fever in Qatar set to run at an all-time high in the coming months, there will be several opportunities to make the sport more accessible, whether it is in schools, clubs, parks, or fan zones, and I hope that the football coaching community will use these opportunities to create inclusive spaces that offer football for all,” said Dr. Josélia Neves, Professor and Associate Dean of Social Engagement, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) at Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU).

The coaching program, offered as a partnership between QF's Ability Friendly Program and the Translation and Interpreting Institute (TII) at HBKU’S CHSS will bring together theory and practice in a blended learning approach. Theoretical principles will be acquired with self-paced learning activities, followed by in-person practical sessions in which participants will be given the opportunity to interact with specialized trainers and children with special needs.

Understanding the program

The full program is divided into four levels and will kick off with the Bronze Level which will take place between August 21 2022 to October 23, 2022, in a total of approximately 25 contact hours.

The goal of the Bronze Level course is to develop multi-skilled football coaches that are able to meet the needs of players with a range of impairments, use appropriate terminology and work closely with practitioners to be disability confident and plan a wide range of coaching sessions for disabled players.

According to Moignard, the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ is a valuable opportunity for everybody involved in football, in Qatar, to use as a catalyst to improve accessibility to football. “I personally think a large part of that responsibility lies on football coaches. If coaches can upskill themselves to cater to different needs and provide a supportive environment, then we can really bet on seeing the inclusive football scene transform past 2022.”