Aspire Academy hailed the enormous success of the 2016 Aspire4Sport and Global Summit on Football Performance & Science that took place on October 3-4 by highlighting a number of milestones achieved during this year’s events.
Taking place this year at the iconic Amsterdam Arena, home of AFC Ajax, Aspire4Sport is a networking session that brought European and Qatari sports industry professionals together to build bridges and pave the way for future partnerships.
This year’s event was amongst the best attended in recent years, highlighting its enduring appeal and importance in enabling the development and success of the sports industry whilst also sending a clear signal about Qatar’s significance as a leading player in the world of sport.
More than 165 businesses and exhibitors took part, representing more than 16 countries.
In total, 688 meetings took place between prestigious Qatari and Middle Eastern government organisations and companies and Europe’s leading sports businesses across sectors including construction, sports medicine, logistics, event management, communication and technology.
One of the main features of Aspire4Sport is that it provides unparalleled networking opportunities for organisations taking part. Feedback from participants this year was unanimous in praise of the organisation of the event itself, the format of meetings as well as their number and frequency, and also the quality of interactions and opportunities they produce.
The significance attached to the event by the State of Qatar was clearly demonstrated by the participation of  Khaled bin Fahed al-Khater, the ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Netherlands, who took part in the opening ceremony to welcome delegates to Amsterdam and to encourage them to make the most of the opportunities on offer.
Khaled bin Fahed al-Khater said: “Bringing flagship events such as Aspire4Sport and the Aspire Academy Global Summit on Football Performance and Science to the Netherlands is clear evidence of the strong and growing relationship between our two countries. The business and investment opportunities in Qatar are very strong, and our sports industry is thriving. These two internationally renowned events provided an excellent insight into the potential that exists in Qatar. I am delighted that Amsterdam was selected to be this year’s host for these world-renowned events.”
Commenting on the quality of the business engagements and interactions in evidence at Aspire4Sport, Ward Abdallah, Executive Director, Aspire4Sport said: “Over the past seven years we have built an incredibly strong brand, and now Aspire4Sport unarguably represents a major highpoint in the sports business calendar. Thanks to the continued efforts and support of our partners, and the vision of Qatar’s leadership, we are making real progress in creating meaningful opportunities for partnership and collaboration between growing numbers of European businesses and Qatari institutions.”
Saud al-Attiyah, Director of Economic Policies & Research from the Ministry of Economy & Commerce said: “I really enjoyed this event which presented a very good opportunity to engage with a range of international sport businesses. It provides an excellent way to meet with suppliers.”
In parallel, Aspire Academy hosted the Global Summit on Football Performance & Science, and the quality of the participants this year was also of an exceptionally high standard. The event featured some of the biggest stars of the game, including Andres Villas-Boas, Xavi Hernandez, Ronald de Boer, Carles Puyol, Edwin van der Sar and Marc Overmars.
More than 160 representatives from clubs including FC Barcelona, Manchester United, AC Milan and Juventus took part in what ranks as one of the highest profile gatherings of leading experts in youth development and training methodology of anywhere in the world. Together they reviewed and examined the latest training methods and approaches designed to nurture championship potential and support elite performance.
This group makes up the “Aspire In the World” Fellows programme, which has continued to grow and develop since it was launched in 2014. For the first time this year, the original members of the “Aspire in the World Fellows” were invited to extend invitations to affiliates, meaning more than 80 football clubs attended the summit.
As well as participating in a variety of workshops and presentations, participants also took part in “Master Classes” for the first time this year, designed to share ideas and approaches and promote discussion around how science, technology and cutting-edge coaching techniques positively influence the game.
A particular highlight of these was Argentinian star manager Marcelo Bielsa who led one such “Master Class” on training methodology on both days. This generated hugely positive feedback from participants and prompted a huge response on social media. Commenting on the Global Summit on Football Performance & Science, Richard Grootscholten, Head of Academy at Feyenoord said: “It’s great to have all these experts in one place, and to gather knowledge from around the world. The model for this community is great, and I’m sure other sports would benefit from replicating it.”
Joshua Jeffrey, Academy Sports Therapist at Everton FC said: “This event is very professional and well organised. The opportunity just to meet with peers from other clubs, from different countries and to familiarise yourself with a different way of doing things is part of the enormous benefit of belonging to the Aspire In the World Fellows community. The online platform that we use throughout the year to work on our topics is a big bonus and a great way to gain valuable insights.”
Feedback from delegates at the Global Summit about this year’s Star Chats was also exceptionally positive. Some of the most recognizable and influential names in sports broadcasting – including the BBC’s Reshmin Chowdhury and Al Kass’ Marianne Caracalla – engaged legends of the game including Andres Villas-Boas, Xavi Hernandez and Carles Puyol on a variety of hot topics, drawing out illuminating and thought provoking insights.
Amongst the many highlights were Edwin Van der Saar’s comments recounting the best coach he’d ever worked with. He said: “In my eyes, the best coach I’ve ever had was Louis van Gaal here at Ajax. I would have expected and hoped that he would have succeeded more than he did last year. I think the team was a little slow. United want excitement with the ball going forward with good technical players. Changing the 4-4-2 formation to a different system cost him a bit of momentum in the players.”
In addition, Andre Villas-Boas shared his perspective on what makes Aspire Academy so successful. He said: “What is so good about Aspire is that there’s a vision – there is a vision and a clear set-up. It’s aiming for 2022 and it has a great mix of such different people yet they all reflect the same vision. I have been to Aspire many times and I appreciate and value how so many different people and backgrounds strive to help build Qatar’s football and other sports.”  
Elsewhere, Xavi Hernandez described his pride and passion for the progress and quality delivered by Aspire Academy, saying: “In the same way I’m proud of Barcelona, I’m also very proud of the Academy in Doha. They have a lot of professionalism at Aspire, including all the coaches. I’m also learning a lot of things. They’re always training. I think Aspire Academy is working very well, and the event they have organised here is incredible. The Academy and Qatar have a lot of solutions and are sharing them with the world.”