The two co-operation agreements were signed at QFA’s Al Bidda Tower headquarters in the presence of QFA President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani, SC Secretary General Hassan al-Thawadi and FA Chairman Greg Clarke.
The agreement between QFA and FA focuses on co-operation and sharing of expertise in several key areas including football development, grassroots football, youth development, women’s football, player performance and management and administration.
The two sides will also focus on joint efforts to explore the possibility of organising friendly matches between the national teams across the different age groups.
Discussions for the collaboration began when both presidents met in October 2017 during the recent Aspire4Sport Conference and Exhibition in London in which they discussed ways and means to develop the game in the two countries and other key areas relating to football.
“We are proud to sign this co-operation agreement with The FA in order to develop our existing strong ties for the development and promotion of football in Qatar,” Sheikh Hamad said.
“This is a great opportunity for us to exchange experiences and expertise in different aspects including national teams, grassroots football, youth development and player performance which will have a direct positive impact on football ahead of the World Cup in Qatar.
“We have a long standing relationship with the FA which began many years ago and I hope that this agreement would build our relationship further for the betterment of football in both countries,” the QFA president added. For his part, Clarke said that The FA was pleased to partner with QFA. “We have a long history of collaboration with various national associations to share knowledge and experience to support the development of football. For Qatar, developing the game across the country is a key objective as they approach the hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 2022.” Meanwhile, The FA and SC signed a memorandum of understanding to help provide life skills to young and vulnerable people through sports training programmes to impact their lives positively and introduce positive social change in their communities.
Under the terms of the agreement, SC will explore ways for The FA to become involved in Generation Amazing, SC’s football development programme that operates in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Nepal and Pakistan, building footballing infrastructure and using sport to address social issues in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The agreement also includes the delivery of leadership programmes hosted by The FA and access to coach development support, among other things.
Meanwhile, SC will invite players, coaches and/or relevant staff members from The FA to attend its key events in Qatar and other Generation Amazing countries and support FA programmes on international development.
Clarke’s visit follows a successful meeting with al-Thawadi in November 2017 when the SC secretary-general was a guest of the FA chairman at Wembley Stadium for England’s international friendly against Germany.
Al-Thawadi expressed his delight that his discussions with Clarke have come to fruition. “Following our meeting in the U.K. at the end of last year, Qatar’s footballing family is pleased to welcome Greg Clarke and The FA to Qatar.
“During my visit, I was delighted to see that our organisations shared the same vision of ensuring that we use the power of football to help create opportunities in education, health and many other areas for disadvantaged young people from impoverished backgrounds.
“Through Generation Amazing, our own football for development programme launched in 2009, we have been striving to do just that and the programme has already benefited over 35,000 young people. The FA has a long history of making a real difference through grassroots footballing initiatives and there is no clearer example of this than their Parklife programme, which I witnessed first-hand when I visited their first ‘Parklife Football Hub’ in Sheffield.
“We have always said that the Qatar World Cup will leave a lasting legacy in Qatar and around the world, long after the last ball has been kicked in 2022, and we’re sure that this MoU will support our joint vision and that our respective programme teams can learn from one another and help to provide even more opportunities for young people for many years to come,” al-Thawadi added. In turn, Clarke said that The FA was pleased to support SC’s work and legacy beyond the 2022 World Cup.
“One area of this legacy is increasing football participation, and as we know well in England, this is highly reliant on the provision of facilities. We look forward to sharing our experiences in this area,” he said.
“The second element of our agreement is in support of the Generation Amazing initiatives which address social issues in countries through football. We hope that this will provide some rewarding opportunities particularly for young people developing their coaching and their leadership skills.”