ASPIRE’s pioneering talent centre project, which aims to discover untapped ability and encourage greater involvement in sport across Qatar, has proved a major success in its first stages, with extra classes being added to accommodate high levels of demand.
The Talent Centre training sessions, which are hosted at the Doha Academy, focus on two training groups: football and multi-sports. Over 250 children have already signed up for sessions, with more planned for later in the year to meet the high demand.
Children aged between seven and 11 take part in the regular extra-curricular classes, which introduce them to a range of new sporting disciplines using ASPIRE’s advanced facilities and elite coaches.
Applying an innovative development model, the priority of the Talent Centres is not necessarily about playing sports directly, but is rather more about identifying the key training and skill exercises that apply to many sporting disciplines.
For example, the specific tasks within the multi-sport group are designed to develop movement skills, such as running, jumping, throwing, kicking, catching, hitting, balancing and rotation.
The core concept is that young people should participate in as wide a range of sporting activities as possible, and keep their options open about the sports they follow later in life. Developing a range of transferable skills enables them to actively participate in a wide variety of sports and also helps them keep fit and active.
The football sessions are open for boys born in 1998 and 1999 and have already had approximately 160 boys apply to participate. The emphasis is on fun and enjoyment, whilst at the same time ensuring that the boys develop better techniques and skills.
Kerry Hill, ASPIRE Talent Centre Multi-sports Head Coach said: “The ‘Talent Centres’ are designed to provide an ideal environment to help give children the best start and opportunity to identify their strengths. We’re seeing a number of children with a lot of passion and excitement for sport and it’s great to see them get involved.”
By increasing the number of sports that young athletes participates in, the talent centres encourage a greater interest in Qatar’s sports clubs, particularly for sports other than football, which is already extremely popular.
ASPIRE supports the classes, which are free for registered students, as part of its commitment to encouraging a stronger sports culture in Qatar.
Given the high number of people already taking the classes, the Talent Centre courses are currently closed for new entrants. However, ASPIRE is currently working on a plan to see a significant expansion of the programme in September 2006, including the introduction of new facilities outside of ASPIRE in other parts of Doha and around Qatar.
ASPIRE, the Academy for Sports Excellence, Doha, was created with the dual aims of identifying and transforming promising student athletes into world renowned champions across a wide range of sports and acting 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 and sporting development.
Unrivalled facilities mark the Academy out as one of the world’s foremost sporting and educational institutions, and entice an ever increasing number of visitors from across the spectrum of world sports to use or simply view them. These same facilities will also play host to events during the forthcoming Asian Games 2006.
With seven outdoor football pitches, athletics tracks, 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 more besides, much housed beneath the world’s largest purpose built sports dome, every aspect of the development of elite athletes is catered for. There is a place for those who dare to dream.
ASPIRE TODAY, INSPIRE TOMORROW
