Aspire in Spanish pact for talent development

Doha-based Aspire Academy has joined forces with Iker Casillas Foundation to create the most ambitious project to date on specific training for goalkeepers.The partnership agreement was signed by Spain’s national team and Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas representing the Foundation and Ivan Bravo, director general, Aspire Academy.As part of the agreement, a high performance centre will be set up at the academy. A project chiefly designed for talent development, it will also teach its trainees the importance of human values and leadership qualities.The Iker Casillas Foundation focuses its activities on the development and integration of young people through sport.The Aspire Academy which boasts of state-of-the-art innovative technology and a team of specialised coaches will develop the training methodology. It will be assessed and supervised by Casillas, who will also advise the coaching management and leadership team.Aspire Academy director general Ivan Bravo said: “The Aspire Academy is delighted to partner with one of the best football players in the world, a goalkeeper who has achieved and performed both with club and national teams at levels not seen before.”“For sure, the Academy’s goalkeepers and others from across Qatar’s clubs will be able to learn a lot from his experience and leadership lessons with Spain’s national team and Real Madrid,” Bravo added. “This partnership with the Iker Casillas Foundation will surely benefit both sides, but above all will help in further growth of football in Qatar towards its ambitious future,” he concluded.The training programme and sessions, including technical, tactical and physical components, will be carried out at the Aspire Academy’s facilities. Goalkeepers from different parts of the world and belonging to youth and professional categories, will come to Doha to take part in the development programmes.To begin with, all goalkeepers of various teams at Aspire will receive a two-day training course, which will be overseen by Iker Casillas.Commenting on the partnership with Aspire Academy, Spain’s number one goalkeeper said: “It is for me an honour to work with an organisation like Aspire, a leading academy in sports training and in the creation of values in sport as well as in developing programmes which foster the integration and training of young people in the world of football.  I also want to thank Qatar and the Qataris for their contribution to the development of sports in general, and more specifically of football.’’ A selection of players from abroad will later join the programme. A list of 100 scholarship players from around the world will be selected by Iker Casillas and Aspire every year. At the academy, they will participate in a 15-day training programme, with Iker Casillas attending on three days.An intensive elite training programme, international young leader camp, a coaching academy for goalkeeper coaches, an annual goalkeeper world congress culminating with a “Battle of Stars” are some of the concrete plans in the pipeline.The collaboration also makes Iker Casillas the academy’s brand ambassador. He will empower the Aspire project within the sports sector worldwide and promote its commitment towards talent development. Page 52