By Sports Reporter/Doha

The CEO of Qatar Stars League (QSL) and Board Member of Qatar Football Association (QFA), Hani Taleb Ballan, met with the eight specially selected candidates who will be part of the Qatar Football Association (QFA) and QSL’s prestigious Executive Football Education programme this year. The programme will start on Feb 16th and run until April 8.
The programme was started last year and is now in its second year. It is an initiative of the president of the QFA and the QSL, HE Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani, to provide Qatari nationals with intensive football business management and leadership courses at Universities, which are world renowned and respected in this field.
Similar to last year, the main focus is football business management and development of leadership skills. The programme will start with two weeks of full immersion in the English language training course at Berlitz in the UK, followed by four weeks of football business management at the University of Liverpool. The second stage of the programme will move to the US with a week-long leadership programme at the Georgetown University as well as field visits to Major League Soccer clubs and other sports entities. The entire programme has been specifically designed and tailored for the QFA and QSL’s candidates.
Commenting on the programme, President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani said: “The key objective of the programme is to provide an opportunity to talented local talent to develop their skills and knowledge in football and sports management and improve their management skills to become future leaders within the business.”
After a rigorous selection process, the final eight that were chosen were Hassan al-Kuwari, Badr al-Mansouri, Eman al-Dosari, Ahmed al-Adsani, Ahmed al-Sayed and Khalid al-Hamar from the QSL and Hamad al-Hajri and Abdulrahman Abdou from the QFA.
Addressing the candidates at the kick-off meeting, the QSL CEO and Board Member, Hani Taleb Ballan said: “This is a significant opportunity for these individuals to develop personally and professionally by gaining exposure to different international perspectives and cultures.”
The two football entities have teamed up with the Josoor Institute, a centre of excellence for the sports and events industries, to help design and implement the programme.
The hope is that all the participants will bring back vital skills and knowledge that will be applicable to football in Qatar and therefore help improve the overall game within the country.

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