Back to the Roots

The year 2014 will mark 10 years since the establishment of Aspire Academy. How would you assess the success of the first decade?

I think that reaching the 10-year milestone gives us a good opportunity to look back over the preceding years and assess whether or not the academy is living up to Qatar’s expectations. I think it has done an amazing job in laying down foundations. It is a young organization. I have worked in an organization that had 110 years of history, so I know that it takes a long time to build a legacy. When you consider the fact that we now have eight players who have played for the first national team of Qatar and 75% of the Qatar Olympic national team is made up of Aspire graduates or players, and that 100% of the under-21 team is made up of Aspire players, you can see that they are reaching the level of the country’s senior squads. Mutaz Essa Barshim, who also came from Aspire, won a bronze medal at the London Olympics in the high jump. Aspire Academy has laid great foundations and will have reached its goals within the next decade.

How is the Academy serving as a vehicle for Qatar to achieve the goals set in the National Sports Strategy?

It is serving as a vehicle in many ways, I believe. One of the pillars of Vision 2030 is human development and we are working hard on this. Through sport, Aspire is trying to produce successful individuals who can speak on behalf of Qatar in the global community. I think Qatar can be proud of Aspire in terms of development, not only on the human side, but also in terms of infrastructure, organization, financial commitments, and investment. When you look around the world you see that individual countries have their own niches and flagship projects. I think we can proudly say that Aspire is a flagship project for Qatar. If you ask people around the world, they will tell you that they have not seen a place like Aspire before. The most important thing, however, is the human element. The energy of the coaches, sports scientists, nutritionists, and athletes that you see on an average morning really brings life to the academy.

What role does Aspire Academy play in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup?

It has a role of responsibility and pride. It has a big responsibility because the country is now looking to a tangible goal and people are asking how can we develop a team that will succeed at the World Cup. The reality is that a lot of those players are going to be coming from the Aspire Academy. It is also a chance for us to shine and represent the country. Many things need to happen for this to be a success, and it does not only involve Aspire, but also the Federation, the clubs, and the families of the players. It really is a wonderful opportunity to work together toward a magnificent goal.

Is Aspire only involved in training athletes or is it also getting involved in sports management?

It could be, further on down the road. In partnership with some other entities such as the Olympic Committee or the Supreme Committee of 2022, there might be a desire to develop career paths for the athletes way beyond their athletic or sports careers and into sports management, marketing, or sports science. I always believe, however, that you first excel at what you were mandated to do and then you can build upon that.

You have programs called Aspire Active and Aspire Football Dreams. What are there exactly?

Aspire Active is another obligation and mandate that Aspire has. It is not all about elite athletes. In keeping with the 2030 Vision and the pillar of human development and healthy lifestyles, Aspire aims to encourage people in Qatar to consider exercise a part of their daily lives. Aspire Active is a community program that will provide over a million hours of exercise programs and classes this year. It is probably the most-recognized and best-equipped program in the region. Once again, it is nice that Aspire is not only for a select group, but is also open to society through programs like this. Aspire Football Dreams, which I think is one the most impressive projects in the world of football, is built around the idea that Qatar is committed to helping other countries develop their sporting talent. The program aids countries that do not have the same resources as Qatar. Aspire goes to 15 countries around the world and gives children the opportunity to one day become football players. Every year we consider around 700,000 children. They are from underprivileged areas of poorly developed countries in Africa and Central America. The best 20 kids are selected and brought to an academy in Senegal and stay with us from age 13 to 18. They then become professionals in a Belgium-based club that we manage, and then they can return to their countries as professional adult football players. Most are already playing for their national teams.

What other community efforts is Aspire Academy involved in?

The main one is Aspire Active, but we are also about to launch a program to fight malaria in Africa. We have a strong relationship with the government of Qatar and we assist other countries when the government requires our help. In general, we do this through sport activities as this is our area of expertise.

Having such a specialized academy, one has to hire extremely qualified staff. Where do you generally find your staff?

If we want to be the very best, we need to have the very best. Wherever we find the expertise, skill sets, and passion, we will go there. The potential candidate must believe in what we are doing and believe that they are taking part in something special. We hire people from all over the world, including Europe, the UK, Australia, Latin America, and the US.

What is your outlook for the education sector in Qatar?

It is another pillar of Qatar’s future development. Our commitment to the athletes is that they will get as good an education at Aspire as they would in any other school in Qatar. We are very proud that many of our students are attending universities not only here in Qatar but also abroad, such as in the UK and the US. We are going through the international accreditation process now. If we manage to get this, we will be one of the few schools in Doha that could make this claim. It would be a school that respects Islamic values and traditions, but also looks for opportunities for athletes elsewhere. Approximately 65%-70% of our students go on to university after completing their studies at Aspire.

What are your medium-term plans for Aspire Academy?

To be as dedicated and passionate as we can and to not become complacent with regard to what the authorities are expecting of us. We will continue to develop cutting-edge methodologies in training and sports science, and to develop programs that look after the boys even after they finish school. We want to be able to say in five years that, “that boy was an Aspire boy.”

© The Business Year – August 2013