Dubai Sports Council (DSC) organized the Annual Forum for Coaches of Dubai Football Clubs, as part of the Council’s fruitful policy to attract & develop sports talents (2023 – 2033) with regard to the sports professional development of technical & administrative staff working in Dubai clubs.

The Forum comprised training courses under supervision of several experts, managers & technical supervisors in Dubai football clubs’ academies. Several lectures & workshops were also held as part of the event.

Mr. Radwan Lahbibani, the Technical Manager of Al Wasl Football Academy, presented a lecture entitled “Transformations in Football”, while Mr. Hisham Poumbar, the Technical Manager of Hatta Football Academy, presented a lecture under title “Skill Competency in Football”.

Mr. Mohamed Al-Alawi Al-Ismaili, the Technical Manager of Shabab Al-Ahli Football Academy, made a lecture entitled “Defining the Philosophy of the Game … the Principles of Playing Football”, While Mr. Paulo Jorge Felipe, the Technical Manager of Al-Nasr Football Academy, dealt with the impact of technical specifications of the player and the coach in shaping the future of promising players.

Mr. Chris Van Derhagen, the International Lecturer to the UEFA, also presented a lecture entitled “Intelligence and Decision Making in Football”, during which he confirmed that football intelligence depends on taking the proper decisions, based on understanding the information surrounding the player, referring that the best players are not the fastest or the strongest, but the ones who are able to take the intact decisions at the proper time.

He explained the importance of visual scanning in football and its role to improve the rate of proper forward passes, as statistics showed that the best players scan the field 6-8 times within 10 seconds before receiving the ball. He dealt with the impact of biological maturity and the effect of relative age on scouting of talents, stating that early maturing players surpass those who mature late. He also focused on the importance of continuous learning to develop players.

He remarked that it is important to train players & to make them competent enough to take fast decisions, based on visual information, emphasizing that it is necessary to analyze scanning behavior of players during training and matches to determine optimal positions for teammates, opponents and spaces.

The Forum was organized annually as part of DSC’s strategy to enhance levels of juniors & youth / qualify technical staff / boost technical levels of coaches who serve in age groups & academies of clubs and football companies. The event is a continuity for DSC development program to qualify football coaches, including external training courses for coaches’ assistants of football companies in Dubai clubs, which are organized in collaboration with international sports federations.