The “beautiful game” in the Kingdom is set to get a boost with the arrival of a number of Brazilian coaches to help train and develop the nation's football-mad youngsters. This is the Saudi Stars Program which will bring 11 top Brazilian coaches into the country to train and mentor nine- to 18-year-old football players of all nationalities. The program starts on July 16 next year and will take place over five years. It has been supported by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, the Emir of the Makkah region, the General Presidency of Youth Welfare, Ministry of Education, Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and a number of socially responsible organizations. It aims to teach values such as commitment to teamwork, discipline and cooperation, fair play, ambition and respect for rules. Executive head of the project development group, Red Sea Reef, Emad Mugharbel told Saudi Gazette that the idea for the program started in 2005. He presented a proposal on the coaching program to Prince Khaled Al-Faisal and Prince Sultan Bin Fahd, Chairman of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare, and his deputy Prince Nawaf Bin Faisal Bin Fahd. They had been excited about it and asked him to start testing the idea. “I started work on the proposal and then decided on Brazilian coaches, in line with the suggestion from Prince Khaled Al-Faisal. The Prince said Brazilian coaches have the right mix of academic and practical experience in football,” he said. “We tested the program at the Saudi Airline Club in Jeddah in 2008 for six weeks with coach Fabio. He was able to get the attention of the children with his special training methods.” After the completion of the six-week program, Mugharbel reported back to Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Prince Sultan Bin Fahd and Prince Nawaf Bin Faisal. They all agreed that he should start work to develop it into a fully-fledged program. “I went to South Africa to meet coach Igor Hang who was conducting a training course for children there and we agreed to bring 10 coaches, in addition to him, from Brazil,” said Mugharbel. The selection of the 11 coaches was based on their international experience and ability to coach children. They all have both academic training and practical experience in countries including Ireland, England, China and South Africa. They will be based at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Mugharbel said. Hang, who is the coordinator of the Saudi Stars Program, told Saudi Gazette that he was pleasantly surprised to discover the football talent of children in Saudi Arabia. He said they can improve significantly if they apply themselves. “I think football is 70 percent fitness, 20 percent technique and 10 percent match practice. This means that children have a good chance to improve if they work at it on a scientific basis,” he said. Marco Aurelio, a Brazilian coach, who has played for America FC, CR Vasco Da Gama, Fluminense FC in Brazil and has a PhD in football development, said that the game has become a science. This means that a good coach must have both academic and playing experience to design a good curriculum for football training. Alex Nunes, a 34-year-old, who has played for the Brazilian national indoor football team and has a PhD in coaching, said ways need to be found to hold the attention of players. Bernando Berriel, who achieved second place at a recent Rio de Janeiro skills tournament, said that players must keep practicing otherwise they will lose their skill. Children and youth between the ages of nine and 18 years of age can now apply to join the program. They can call Emad Mugharbel directly on 0508889442 or fill in a form online at: www.starsprograms.com. The media sponsor of the Saudi Stars Team is Okaz Organization for Press and Publication, the parent company of Saudi Gazette.
