Sepp Blatter, the President of FIFA, has expressed his support for ASPIRE Academy in Doha and its wider program of sporting development for young people in both Qatar and in Africa.
Blatter, head of football’s international governing body, was present in Qatar to meet the Emir His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and had the opportunity to tour the Academy and meet its dedicated staff.
He was also received by fellow FIFA official, Mohammed bin Hammam, who is the President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and a member of the FIFA Executive Committee. He was welcomed to the Academy by its Director General, Dr Thomas Flock.
ASPIRE is a specialized educational facility based in Doha that provides a comprehensive learning environment for children in Qatar with high sporting potential. It also offers a number of scholarship programs.
Blatter said: “This was a wonderful opportunity to see ASPIRE and to discuss the important role of sport in youth development and education. The essence of football is education, because it teaches team-work, discipline and respect for your peers and your competitors. The fact that ASPIRE has been able to combine both education and sport in one institution is remarkable.”
During the visit, Blatter responded to a handful of earlier media reports that had suggested he was concerned about the wider aims of the ASPIRE Africa. Football Dreams scholarship program, which involved the largest talent search in history.
A total of 430,000 young footballers participated in the testing stages of the annual program, which took place in Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa.
Blatter commented: “This visit has provided me with the opportunity to learn about the ASPIRE Africa program first-hand and I have to say that I am very relaxed and supportive about the project now that I understand how it works.”
“ASPIRE has a balanced plan for youth development, which supports education and sport for Qatar-based and scholarship students from the developing world. This is making a very important contribution.”
Blatter arrived in Qatar from Accra, Ghana, where he had watched Egypt triumph in the final of the African Cup of Nations.
About ASPIRE
ASPIRE Academy for Sports Excellence in Doha was created in 2004 with the dual aims of identifying and transforming promising student athletes into world-renowned champions across a wide range of sports and to act as a beacon to draw sporting culture into the centre of life in Qatar and the surrounding region.
The Academy is distinguished by a philosophy which aims to develop the whole student, providing them with full academic, social and sporting development.
Unrivalled facilities housed in and around the world’s largest purpose built indoor sports dome ensure the Academy’s reputation out as one of the foremost sporting and educational institutions in the entire international community, enticing an ever-increasing number of visitors and users, from sporting legends to global political leaders.
Every aspect of the development of elite athletes is catered for by one indoor and seven outdoor football pitches, athletics tracks, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, diving pool, combat arenas, gymnastics arena, specially designed weight rooms, lecture halls, dormitories to accommodate what will eventually become 1,000 students, a medical centre and many more facilities.
The ASPIRE Active programs and the work of Talent Centers spread across the country ensure that thousands of the nation’s residents now have accessible and advanced health and fitness activities as routine aspects of their lives. Each social group is catered for by tailor-made classes and programs.
As of 2007, the ASPIRE Africa. Football Dreams project has tested over 600,000 young Africans from seven nations as part of the biggest-ever talent search in the sport. The top three footballers will be awarded full scholarships to study at the Academy alongside their Qatari classmates.
First and foremost, ASPIRE is a place for those who dare to dream.
