Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas (right) and Ivan Bravo, Director General of Aspire Academy, during the signing ceremony at Aspire Academy in Doha yesterday.
Doha: Aspire Academy has joined forces with Iker Casillas Foundation to create the most ambitious project to date on specific training for goalkeepers which is a project for talents development which will illustrate its members on human values and leadership to be the future leaders of sport.
The partnership agreement was signed by Spain National Team and Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas representing Iker Casillas Foundation and Ivan Bravo, Director General, representing Aspire Academy.
As a part of the deal, 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.
Iker Casillas Foundation focuses its activities on the development and integration of young people through sport.
The Aspire Academy, boasting state-of-the-art innovative technology and a team of specialised coaches will develop the training methodology.
It will be assessed and supervised by Spain and Real Madrid captain 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 team at levels not seen before.”
“For sure the Academy’s goalkeepers and other 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 help the 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, 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 Academy will receive a two-day training course, which will be overseen by Casillas, the reigning European and World Cup champion.
Speaking on the partnership with Aspire Academy, the Spainish number one goalkeeper said: “It is for me an honour to work with an organisation like Aspire, a leading Academy in sports training and the creation of values in sport as well as developing programs which foster the integration and training of young people in the world of football.”
He added: “I want also to thank Qatar and 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 l5-day training programme, with Real Madrid goalkeeper Casillas attending 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 Casillas the academy’s brand ambassador.
He will empower the Aspire project within the sports sector worldwide and promote its commitment towards talent development. THE PENINSULA
