Annual Report 2013/14 ASPIRE ZONE FOUNDATION 1 2 Contents
The CEO’s Year in Review
AZF IT
AZF HR
Marketing and Communications
Aspire Academy
Aspetar
Aspire Logistics
3
His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani Emir of the State of Qatar
His Highness Father Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani The CEO’s Year in Review
It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you the annual report of Aspire Zone Foundation for the year 2013/2014. This report highlights the achievements and milestones of AZF over the past 12 months and underlines its exceptional strides towards becoming an international reference for sports excellence. Everything we accomplished during the year demonstrates our commitment to supporting the vision for Qatar 2030.
The joint efforts of AZF’s member organizations - Aspire Academy, Aspetar, and Aspire Logistics - helped take AZF from concept for a sports city to an international icon.
The successes of last year included increased cooperation between the Academy and prominent sports entities, such as the Qatar Olympic Committee and the Qatar Football Association, for the purpose of enhancing the performance of Qatari athletes and teams.
This resulted in outstanding achievements by the Academy’s students and graduates; 27 gold medals, 25 silver medals, and 21 bronze medals in a variety of sports. Furthermore, the Academy contributed to the health of our local community through its Aspire Active program and the related partnerships with Qatar University and Hamad Medical Corporation.
On the other hand, Aspetar was accredited by the Executive Office of the GCC Health Ministers’ Council as the first sports medicine hospital. Aspetar was also chosen as the medical partner for the national teams of Ivory Coast and Algeria during the FIFA World Cup 2014.
Also during the year, Aspire Logistics became the prime destination for several international events and competitions; this can be attributed to the unmatched resources and facilities available to AL. A great example of such events was the successful 6 hours 50km race.
Throughout the year, Aspire Logistics achieved a balance between fulfilling strategic objectives and perfecting the finest details of event organization and facility management. The organization’s efforts made us the destination of choice for elite training camps.
The eventful past year reflects AZF’s commitment to its strategic role as a comprehensive sports facilitator; a victorious year for the Academy’s graduates, a year of research breakthroughs for Aspetar, and a year of successful events organized by Aspire Logistics.
AZF managed to become an integral part in the lives of people in Qatar through community- focused activities and innovative programs. This approach succeeded in promoting a healthy lifestyle across the community and solidifying our position as a socially responsible entity.
We are particularly proud of our contributions towards the development of sports in Qatar. One such contribution was the annual international conference and exhibition “ASPIRE4SPORT” which continues to grow and attract more people each year.
I leave you to review this report hoping that it will convey the impact of our achievements and reflect the success of our partnerships with various national and international establishments. We pray the years ahead will hold more success for all of us.
Khalid Al Sulaiteen CEO Aspire Zone Foundation
8 ‘Everything we accomplished during the year demonstrates our commitment to supporting the vision for Qatar 2030’.
Khalid Al Sulaiteen
CEO, Aspire Zone Foundation
99 10 11 Aspire Zone Foundation
Mission & Vision Our mission is to enhance sports performance by developing sporting champions, promoting a healthy lifestyle, managing world-class sports events and infrastructures and contributing to the development of Qatar’s sports sector. Our vision is that by 2020 we will be the reference worldwide for sports excellence, by acting as one integrated sports group, delivering unsurpassed value for the sporting community and leading the development of sporting and healthy lifestyles in Qatar.
Established by Emiri decree on 1 January 2008, Aspire Zone Foundatin (AZF) has grown significantly since its inception as an international sport destination, and it includes Aspire Academy, Aspetar and Aspire Logistics. The broad goals of AZF are to develop sports champions, promote healthy lifestyles and galvanize the sports economy in Qatar.
The Aspire Zone Foundation and its member organizations enjoyed a fruitful year packed with growth. This was demonstrated through achievements and initiatives that solidified AZF’s leadership and impacted positive change in the world of sports as well as the local community. 2013/14 saw the forming of stronger alliances with key partners including the QOC and many of Qatar’s sports federations. One of the benefits of this collaboration was the unification of the football calendar between Aspire Academy and the Qatar Football Association (QFA).
Also superb results were achieved by the student athletes of Aspire Academy in international tournaments such as the Mediterranean International Cup (MIC).
Aspire Logistics oversaw numerous high-profile events and implemented an integrated Event and Venue Management System – BRIDGE – which was developed by AZF’s own IT Department.
Another innovation of the year was the launch of namat.qa - a public Health educational platform developed by Healthy Lifestyle Program in Aspetar in collaboration with AZF’s IT team. The same spirit of innovation and collaboration resulted in the development and launch of the step into health mobile pedometer application.
Aspetar’s National Sports Medicine Programme (NSMP) extended medical services to both the Algerian and the Ivorian national teams in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Experts of the NSMP are also set to provide medical coverage to over 100 national and international events in 2014/2015. Overall, every department of AZF and its member organizations had noteworthy growth in various areas of operation; contributing to the leading role of AZF and its continued goal of positively changing people’s lives.
12 AZF and its member organizations had noteworthy growth in various areas of operation
13 AZF IT
The visible growth in the services across Aspire Zone Foundation was supported by a backbone of novel solutions created and rolled out by the IT section of AZF.
This constantly busy department enabled AZF, and its member organizations, to take on greater challenges and achieve remarkable results through the use of advanced technologies and tailored software solutions. Aspire Academy
Interactive Self Profiling Management System:
This solution made the evaluation of students noticeably more accurate for Aspire student athletes and their coaches. By capturing the discrepancies between coach and athlete perceptions, it enabled both students and coaches to score on the student’s sporting ability on various subjective parameters and then arrive at a methodology to psychologically evaluate the students.
Education Department Portfolio Planning
AZF IT developed a department-wide business capability blueprint which showed the entire set of functions, processes and capabilities of each team within the department and which can be used as a reference for sporting academies globally. From this blueprint, AZF IT defined the Education Department’s IT Application Landscape and prioritized the roll out of these applications based on the needs of the business. This roadmap provides Academy Senior Management with a 3-year view of the IT automation activities to be conducted along with the required cost and budget to support this activity.
Gym Application
This novel online Gym Application tailors a detailed training program for each student depending on his need & requirements; enabling better results and minimizing the risk of injury. The application will be used in Aspire’s new outdoor gym.
14 Aspire Logistics
Venues & Events Management
Aspire Logistics’ venues and events department had a tremendous year, organizing numerous successful events. AZF IT contributed to 17 of these events in many ways and particularly through the rollout of its Integrated Venues and Event Management Solution, BRIDGE. Aspetar
Aspetar Digital Incident Report
This solution tangibly enhanced the performance of Aspetar’s Quality Department by enabling the digitized tracking of the entire life cycle of an incident. step into health Mobile Pedometers
Building on the huge success of the step into health Program, AZF IT successfully developed & launched the step into health mobile pedometer application. This app is available on both iOS and Android platforms and can be downloaded from the applicable mobile stores. The mobile pedometer basically uses built-in accelerometers to calculate the walking steps of the user, fat burn/calories and distance walked; it also provides the option for users to choose activity type.
The mobile pedometer application is in use by over 1,900 members and has been short-listed as a finalist for the 2014 World Summit Award for Mobile Applications in the Healthy Lifestyle category.
Namat Phase 1
The IT section successfully launched this bilingual website offering articles and consultations on healthy living, from physical activity to nutrition. www.namat.qa is operated by Aspetar and is tailored to the needs of the population in Qatar and the GCC.
Aspetar Journal Website
The readership of the bi-monthly Aspetar Journal skyrocketed after AZF IT took it online.
With the limitations of hardcopy production eliminated, the editors of the journal can now quickly and easily update its content directly with no input required from IT thus maximizing the go to market turnaround time. The site has had 33,500 visitors from all-over the world with 95,000 page views since its launch.
15 Enterprise Wide Applications
Monthly Management Reports
This online reporting platform dramatically streamlined the monthly reporting process. It allowed the AZF Strategy Department to manage, track & consolidate all reports being submitted across the various SBUs within a single solution that is accessible by both AZF senior management and authorized representatives of His Highness Office.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Solutions
The rollout of this CRM solution for various departments in AZF provided a simple & quick method to send targeted mass marketing campaigns, e-Newsletters and SMS to AZF clients, sports athletes and the general public.
The CRM solution has become the central repository for all marketing department contacts and holds 93,000 contacts. The various marketing departments have sent 350,000 emails and about 300,000 SMS to customers thereby increasing the awareness of Aspire within the country.
ERP Performance Management System
This project gave the entire enterprise a standardized performance management system in order to manage the yearly appraisal cycle for employees across AZF and its MOs.
The system boosted HR’s appraisal process and gave it the support it needed in order to achieve more accurate results. External Clients
Services Provided
IT services, such as applications (ERP, EDMS, TASHAAR Task Manager), emails, telephony, and general IT support, have been provided across different clients for this reporting period including Katara, Anti-Doping Lab, Aspire Katara Investment, Aspire Katara Hospitality and Naufar. The latest additions to the list of clients is QAFAC in which they are currently using our TASHAAR Task Manager solution for their senior management to better track, manage tasks and collaborate with their team members along with Mosanada for general IT support and IT services.
Overall, the 81-strong IT team successfully handled over 24,700 requests related to internal and external customers – a 45% increase from the previous year.
The value of invoiced IT services provided to AZF IT clients totaled ~ 3 Million QR in the period from 1st April 2013 to 31st March 2014.
16 AZF HR
The HR Department of AZF is committed to the development of Qatar’s young professionals with the aim of attracting, developing and retaining talented Qatari nationals, ultimately supporting the QNV 2030.
Previous efforts have taken the percentage of Qatari employees to 15.77%. However, the National Development team has done a great effort to increase this percentage and retain Qataris in AZF through various initiatives such as:
• Scholarship and sponsorship programs • Exit interviews/ resignation investigation • New joiners’ development plans and succession plans for key positions • Support the Qatarization retention by promotion and case studies • Summer internship • Training consultation
Furthermore, and with the aim of reaching a Qatarization level of 50% by 2022, Aspire Zone Foundation took its Qatarization strategy across international borders, participating in the 7th Annual Qatari Student Career Fair, London 2014. The event was organized by the Qatari Embassy in the UK and attracted several companies and students studying at various Universities and colleges across the UK in a drive to attract and recruit top talent among Qataris.
AZF already has a comprehensive undergraduate scholarship program that provides opportunities to Qataris to study at leading international universities and colleges, in Qatar and abroad, in specialized disciplines which are crucial for AZF’s business success. About 10 employees and students are currently studying at various universities and colleges in the UK as part of AZF’s overseas scholarship and further education program.
On the operations side of HR, the Department initiated new processes throughout the year and enhanced new ones with the objective of uplifting AZF’s status as an employer of choice; this included:
• Improved on the Performance Management Process & Best Practices to Optimize Monitoring Performance Work Reviews/Feedback and Goal Management
• Conducted an organizational climate survey to get important insights, knowing where we stand with employees, which enables us to identify areas for improvement. Surveys pinpoint staff priorities, showing us where we should focus our efforts to generate these positive changes from within.
17 Marketing and Communications
In the spirit of supporting and encouraging the growth of AZF, the Marketing and Communications Department launched the Marketing Research Program on April 2013; facilitating the systematic gathering, analysis and interpretation of data that is relevant to AZF and its member organizations sports marketing business. This 3-year program will provide invaluable and actionable insights to feed strategic thinking and tactical action, making it an ideal catalyst for the development of a marketing innovation hub.
The research program includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Brand Awareness (local & international, competitive audits, sports trends forecast, annual sports business forecast per region, stakeholders satisfaction survey, satisfaction surveys regarding Aspire Zone’s services, programs, etc).
Aspetar research will focus in uncovering the decision making process amongst various target audiences for selecting a sports hospital with extensive gathering of data related to brand awareness, services awareness & recall among target audience, customer journey mapping, customer satisfaction and competitive audits
Aspire Logistics research Program will cover Aspire customer satisfaction for events (as needed) such as post events feedback with B2B customers, feedback from event participants and spectators’ feedback
Finally in the program is included Aspire Park where data will be gathered regarding Park experience, consumer generated insights, and other relevant information.
The Department developed a 5-year Marketing and Communications Strategy, aimed at realizing the vision and mission of AZF, as well as the Corporate Strategy of the group including the business objectives of AZF’s member organizations.
The strategy outlines communication, branding, commercial and online strategies and tactics and illustrates a well-defined and integrated innovation approach that ensures a profitable growth and expansion of Aspire Zone through targeted marketing programs; delivering inspiring brand experiences that position Aspire Zone to the world as a reference in sports excellence.
The Media section excelled in leveraging the most significant events of AZF this year; gaining AZF superior coverage and exposure.
Through careful planning, creative crafting, and diligent follow up, the Media section succeeded in utilizing all local print, TV, radio, and online platforms to serve and support these events.
18 One of the most successful opportunities we activated was holding a gathering for key media outlets with their senior management representation to meet with AZF and MOs key officials discussing the current and future position of sports in Qatar. The gathering was held in The TORCH Doha Hotel.
The highlights of these efforts are probably best demonstrated in the handling of the media for “National Sports Day” and the Ramadan festival “Welcome to Aspire”.
Lead-up presence across all media resulted in generating overwhelming interest in these events. This was followed through with extensive coverage of the actual activities and tactful post event reporting.
The Media section’s proficiency in sustaining interest throughout the stages of these events, and its success in getting the media to pick up the stories, is a testimony to the section’s ability to add value to every aspect of AZF’s operation.
In addition, Media contributes to AZF Marketing through
1- Speakers’ League: AZF trusts that consisting messaging is a crucial tool for efficient communication between the organization and its target audience. And given the diversity in core business areas among AZF and its Member Organizations, there was a need to create an internal platform where different spokespersons can regularly meet, discuss and agree on the image they want to provide about their organization and what they do.
2- Media Gathering: Out of its deep belief in the power of partnerships in reaching the different goals, AZF has a strong relationship with the media, and explored during 2014 further opportunities to foster this relationship with local media and establish two-way communication channel with them valuing their feedback about how community perceives AZF and its MOs via media.
One of the most successful opportunities we activated was holding a gathering for key media outlets with their senior management representation to meet with AZF and MOs key officials discussing with them the current and future position of sports in Qatar.
19 DIGITAL REPORT, APRIL 2013 - APRIL 2014
20 Brand reach achieved from April 2013 to March 2014 was 40.3 % locally
21 23 24 Aspire Academy Aspire Academy 25 26 Aspire Academy Aspire Academy
Vision & Mission
VISION
By 2020, we will be recognized as the world’s leading sports academy in the development of youth athletes.
We will be a leading player in fitness, health and wellness education in Qatar.
MISSION
We develop well educated sports champions. We foster Qatar society realizing a healthy, active lifestyle.
27 Introduction
With 2014 marking the 10th year of its existence, Aspire Academy has made giant strides on its path to becoming the global leading sports academy for adolescent athletes. Aspire Academy continued to expand its programs and scope of effective involvement in the world of sports within the local community and beyond Qatar’s borders.
At home, we succeeded in forging stronger alliances with key partners including, for the first time, unifying the football calendar with Qatar Football Association (QFA) to effectively manage player training and monitor competition demands.
We have taken mutual cooperation with the Qatar Olympic Committee, and its Sports Federations, a step further by entering into formal agreements with these entities.
Our relationship with the Supreme Education Council has also grown tremendously; evidenced by the increased number of Talent Identification screenings conducted in Qatari schools.
On the international front, we successfully expanded our transformational placement programs for the best young Aspire Academy footballers to experience European club methodologies. And as a founding member towards establishment of the Association of Sports Institutes of Asia, we have been leading the way towards more collaboration across Asia’s sporting community.
Ultimately, our student-athletes benefit from the unique combination of local pathways and international programs within their respective Football, Sport and Education scholarships so that each individual that passes through Aspire Academy will leave as a champion in sport and in life.
Furthermore, our community outreach program, Aspire Active, continued to help build healthy lifestyles for the people of Qatar. In 2013-14, Aspire Active was a strong partner in important community activity programs such as the Qatar Active Schools Program with the Supreme Council of the Health (SCH) and the National Physical Activity Guidelines with SCH, Qatar University, Hamad Medical Corporation and Aspetar.
28 Aspire Academy 29 30 Aspire Academy Football
More placements, and better performances, for our young players in Qatar’s National Teams reflected the success of initiatives made by the Football Department. During the 2013-14 season, the Department focused on:
1. Training
Training content has been improved to enhance our programs, in corporating a skills development tool known as ‘Footbonaut’, which is also used a limited number of leading European football clubs, for individual technical and tactical improvement. The results of these training advancements have been the improved cognitive processes related to players’ perception, decision-making and skills execution.
New activities in the Aspire Football Program included the shared learning exchange with the Education Department where coaches and teachers benefitted from each other’s professional teaching perspective in practical ways in the classroom and on the pitch.
Elite Camp (Team) – This year, players from generation ’96-97 traveled to Aspire’s Senegal Academy to experience training in different environments and conditions. Due to the success of this camp, two such camps are planned for the 2014-15 season.
Elite Training (Individual) – A special training program, which offers our best players elite training for two weeks in European Clubs. Twenty-Four players have benefited from this experience at the following clubs:
• Spain - Real Sociedad
• Germany - Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Monchesgladbach and Schalke 04
International Placements – which is a season / year-long exchange program for the most gifted football protégés – saw the placement of 16 players in 7 clubs in 2013- 14 throughout clubs in Europe; a significant growth from the 9 players placed in 5 clubs during 2012-2013 under the program. This year’s affiliate clubs were:
• Austria - Red Bull
• Belgium - K.A.S. Eupen
• Germany - Fortuna Dusseldorf
• France - Auxerre FC; AS Monaco FC
• Spain - Villarreal FC; Real Madrid FC
31 2. Competitions
Tri-series
• 32 Tri-series tournaments were organized with the participation of numerous clubs from different continents
The invitation to participate in these tournaments was exclusive to clubs that have a demonstrated focus on the development of young players. Participation by visiting teams, federations and academies provided opportunities for synergies beyond the peer competitions such as knowledge exchange of the technical methodologies.
In 2013-14, we have improved this important domestic competition for our players by increasing the number of Tri-Series Tournaments that have been held, as well as substantially improving the coordination and delivery of these events.
The Tri-Series provide an ideal environment for our players to experience competition. And by combining the participating teams from across the continents, we are able to contrast and compare the style of our boys’ play in comparison to other systems.
3. Evaluation
With the training and competition schedule, we have established a strong system of individual evaluation for each player over three assessment phases throughout the season. These formal evaluations enable coaches and performance staff to monitor the progress of each player and to develop individual training guidelines depending on the different needs of each player.
4. Scouting
The latest addition to the Football Department, in 2013-14, was the observation unit of talent scouting; tasked with identifying and monitoring players in clubs throughout Qatar. The most promising talents in clubs may then be invited to a trial at Aspire and ultimately to join the Academy’s Football Program.
32 Aspire Academy 33 34 5. Relationship with QFA / Clubs
Collaboration in the organization of competitions, e.g. 3rd edition of the Al Kass U/16 tournament and the hosting of the first ever LFP La Liga Aspire Challenge featuring two U/15 local teams and 10 Spanish Clubs, fulfilling an MoU signed with La Liga at 2013 Doha GOALS.
An important progression with QFA has been the development of an integrated competition schedule. This enabled all involved parties to follow the players’ progress as well as monitor competition loads throughout the season.
In addition, we continue to undertake the responsibility for organizing the technical aspects of all development programs, training and competition related to the U/19, U/17, U/15 and U/13 national teams. On-field success includes the U/17 team qualifying for the 2014 AFC U17 Cup, Thailand (Sept. 2014) and the U/19 team qualifying for the 2014 AFC U19 Cup, Myanmar (Oct. 2014) with both of these age group teams comprised 100% of Aspire Academy footballers.
Our doors were opened a bit wider to Qatar’s local clubs through:
• Offering coaching of the clubs’ technical staff based on the Aspire methodologies
• Extending invitations to professional development presentation series delivered by different visiting clubs and experts in Football from around the world
• Organization of 5 training sessions for QFA Clubs in the format of 5 classroom sessions and 5 on-the-field sessions for Goalkeepers’ development; Technical development; Scouting and Football Performance
These practical and theoretical sessions were delivered in addition to regular quarterly meetings organized with the Technical Directors of the Clubs for evaluation, monitoring and management of the players.
Aspire Academy 35 Presentation by Jorge Valdano, former Argentinian International & 1986 World Cup winner,
Real Madrid player and General Manager
36 6. Presentations
• 5 presentations with invited world experts in Football were delivered for the Football coaches to exhibit issues and trends related to training and youth player development
• 20 club presentations (from Tri-series teams), on different programs and ways of delivering football methodologies in different countries
The local clubs and QFA officials also benefited from attendance at these special presentations.
37 Football Results
National Team Representation
• The penetration of Aspire players in Qatar National Teams has increased to 100% for U16 and U19 teams, These teams qualified for their respective AFC Cup Championships in September and October 2014 respectively
• Graduates into Qatar’s Senior National Football Team increased from 18% in 2012-13 to 26% in 2013-14.
38 International Tournaments:
• The Toulon Tournament, France: In April 2014, Qatar National Team U19 competed against Brazil, England, South Korea and Colombia.
• Al Kass International Cup, Qatar: January 2014 Aspire International team (African Football Dreams Players) won the tournament following a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Spanish giants Real Madrid.
• Mediterranean International Cup (MIC), Spain: In 2013 and 2014, two Aspire International teams (Aspire Football Dreams) won their respective age groups: Qatar National Team U19 reached the semifinals phase, whilst the U/16 team reached the tournament quarterfinals.
Aspire Academy 39 Football Performance and Science
The Football Performance and Science (FP&S) Department is responsible for the physical development of Aspire Academy footballers the department also has performance and science responsibilities for elite football players which includes providing methodology, expertise, training, systems and new technology to both the 14 Clubs of The Qatar Stars League and National Teams.
The FP&S Department also aims to position Aspire Academy as a leader in research and developing modern concepts of applied sports science in football.
Research: In May 2013 FP&S was awarded a grant from the Qatar National Research Fund to finance a 3 year research collaboration with NASA, FC Barcelona, Texas A&M and Karolinska Institute to develop methodologies for injury prevention and treatment in youth and professional football.
In 2013, FP&S developed collaborative agreements with local (QSL and QFA) and international partners (including NASA and Nike) to facilitate ongoing research and development. This will be further developed in 2014-2015 through a range of agreements with leading local and international academic institutions.
Enhanced training methodology: A new external gym has recently been built (January 2014). The new facility is based on a modern concept of integrated functional training. The application of modern audio-visual technology is used to motivate the players to perform to their highest levels.
Football Performance Center: Design for this state-of-the-art Center has been completed and construction is planned to commence before the end of 2014 with completion due within 2 years. This world leading facility will integrate cutting edge technology and worldwide expertise enabling Qatar to operate at the forefront of training methodology and sports science.
Aspire in the World: In Paris, 2014, the FP&S Department will launch the first international summit for the development of youth football players bringing together 120 experts from the best football academies, federations and institutions around the world. The event will also coincide with the launch of the ‘Aspire Fellowship Program’ that will create a platform to synergize the know-how of the best worldwide expertise to set up recommendations for management and modern training methodology of youth football players.
40 Aspire Academy 41 42 Sport
The Sport Department provides the comprehensive development of student-athletes in Olympic and Other (non-football) Sports program.
The primary objective of the Department is to prepare the student-athletes for successful careers by focusing on their holistic development.
In 2013-14, the primary areas of development were as follows:
Relations with QOC & Sport Federations
The Sport Department is expanding its involvement in the Talent Development Pathway pre- and post, Aspire by strengthening its partnerships with the Qatar Olympic Committee and Sports Federations. Formal agreements have been signed with:
• Qatar Shooting and Archery Association
• Qatar Fencing Federation
• Qatar Athletics Federation
• Qatar Squash Federation
In addition, the Sport Department agreed to a partnership project with the QAF focused on 5 areas for the development of young athletes in that will deliver:
• Coach education program
• Identification of, and support for, eligible athletes for World Youth competitions
• Aspire support and assistance for Kids Club Coaches
• IAAF Accreditation for Aspire Academy as an Accredited Training Center
• Development of an agreed development pathway for high performance youth and junior athletes in Qatar
Aspire Academy 43 Multi Sport Skill Development MSSD Program
The MSSD program has been designed to give boys and girls (ages 5-11) the opportunity to learn and develop fundamental movement skills, which will help them to improve their sporting performance and set them on the pathway to sporting success. Under this program, a professional team delivers free coaching sessions at a number of venues across Qatar.
Boys’ Program
The Boys’ Program has had its most successful year so far, having identified a higher number of boys to join the Academy in comparison to previous years. This year, our program focused on ensuring the best possible foundation for boys who have been identified by our Talent Identification Team as potential future champions for Qatar.
Pilot work has been taking place to identify the best possible locations for our centers to give improved access to as many Qatari boys as possible. Significant changes to our curriculum, and the introduction of additional testing and assessment tools will help us to better understand the boys’ progress and true potential.
Boys identified by our teams in the rigorous school-testing regime will now be invited to attend regular and frequent after-school sessions, which have been designed to accelerate their physical skills and abilities.
Girls’ Program
Our Girls’ Program has also reached new heights this year, having successfully transferred 36 girls into federations or other national squads and programs. In the absence of a Girls’ Academy, the measure of our success is that we are an effective feeder system for the various Federations and partner organizations that we work with.
More Qatari girls than ever before have been given the fundamental movement skills and enthusiasm for sport, and been passed on to our colleagues in the Federations where their real sporting potential will be and has been achieved.
For 2014-15, as we strive to increase the number of boys and girls we have contact with, and continue to improve the program, we intend to introduce a new brand identity which will better reflect the program’s intention to seek out and support Qatar’s best sporting potential.
44 Aspire Academy Aspire Academy 45 Abdulla Al-Tamimi (squash)
is the Winner U19 Dutch Junior Open in 2013
46 Aspire Academy Scholarship Program
The Aspire Scholarship Program now provides support for the continued academic and sporting aspirations of our very best Aspire Academy graduates.
The Scholarships are bespoke to the needs of each individual athlete and reflect their sporting and academic dreams and ambitions. Each recipient sets performance objectives including targets for representing Qatar at international level with their Aspire coach and respective Federation.
At present there are two Aspire Scholarship Holders, whose progression is featured below:
Abdulla Al-Tamimi (squash)
Winner U19 Pioneer Junior Cup
Winner U19 Dutch Junior Open
4th U19 World Junior Championship
Gold Medal U19 GCC Individual Championship
Joined the PSA International Squash Circuit late in 2013. He is currently in the process of transitioning into the professional game whilst at the same time taking his coaching qualifications.
Abdul Rahman Al-Ishaq (swimming)
Abdul Rahman is based at Santa Monica College in California where he is training to fulfill his ambition to represent Qatar in swimming at the Rio Olympics in 2016. He is managing his intensive training at the same time as studying for an Associate Degree in Arts, Kinesiology and Physical Education. The Scholarship is provided in partnership with the Qatar Swimming Federation who set target training and performance times for Abdul Rahman on his journey to the Rio Olympics.
International Activities
• Joint conference with QAAF related to skills development for Athletics coaches including strength and conditioning, technical development and sports science disciplines, October 2014
• Asian Olympic Committee and IAAF Youth Training Camp and Coach Education program, September 2014
47 Sport - Results Highlights SPORT – RESULTS SECTION
International Medal Table
48 Aspire Academy 2
• Mutaz Barshim – Asian Indoor Record - 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland
• Ashraf El Seify (1500m) & Bronze Medal (Hammer Throw) at World Gymnasiade, Brazil, Nov. 2013 (7 of 41 athletes have achieved World Youth or Asian standards)
• Team Silver Medal at Arab Club Senior Championships & Team Gold at GCC Table Tennis Championships (3 of 10 athletes achieved World Youth or Asian standards)
• Squash player Abdulla Al Tamimi, who is now playing on the Professional Squash Association World Tour, progressed from #96 to #80 World Open Ranking
• 5 Aspire athletes met the qualifying criteria for World Junior Athletics Championships in Eugene USA, July 2014:
• Ashraf El Seify (Hammer) – 79.71m - Asian Junior Champion
• Ahmed El Seify (Hammer) – 68.90m - Asian Junior Silver
• Adam Musaab (1500m/3000mSC) – 3:42.23/8:57.17 - Double Asian Junior Champion, 3rd at 3000m steeplechase on Junior World Ranking List in April 2013
• James Takyi (200m) – Personal Best achieved at Valence, France
• Abubaker Haydar (800m) – 1:50.11 -Asian Junior Silver + Bronze, 2014 National Indoor and Outdoor Junior Champion
Aspire Academy 49 50 Sports Science
The Sports Science Department at Aspire is resourced with state of the art technologies and a team of 40 applied sports scientists who bring their expertise and experience from all around the globe. The focus of development in 2013-14, was as follows;
Talent Identification (TID): TID identifies the most promising sports talent to attract into the Academy using progressive evidence-based talent identification protocols.
In 2013-14, the TID process has been extensively reviewed. Talent ID Bronze phase mass screenings resumed in 2013-14 with the support of Supreme Education Council resulting in screening of approximately 3,000 grade 6 boys across 46 schools (98% of independent schools across Qatar); Silver Talent ID stage screened 181 potential students, whilst the final Talent ID phase screened 64 potential athletes for 2014-15 season admission; 35 student-athlete offers have been made and we await the outcome of the current recruitment process.
This program is being extended to test all 11 year old boys in Qatari Schools, to allow us to quantify more precisely over time those children with talent. Not only will this “mass” testing provide essential TID data, but will give an accurate surveillance of the health status of Qatari children.
Aspire Academy 51 Sports Science Support of Student Athletes – This year, we have restructured our service team support of the sports and athletes that we serve. This process innovation commenced with a thorough needs analysis of each sport and, for our elite athletes, benchmarking of their strengths and weaknesses against these metrics. This service team methodology has significantly enhanced communication pathways between the athlete, coach and sports scientist. It is seen as an exemplar of best practice.
British Council – The Academy, in partnership with Exeter University in the UK, were successful in securing British Council Researcher Link funding amounting to £50,000. In February 2014, this allowed the Academy to host 20 young researchers from the UK and 20 researchers/practitioners from Qatar to discuss and formulate research related to elite youth performance and children’s health.
International Talent ID Conference: The Sports Science Department hosted the 1st International Congress on Talent Identification. This attracted world-class speakers from around the globe to present to an audience of 230 delegates, 54 of whom visited from overseas.
Founding member of Association of Sports Institutes of Asia which, together with Japan Institute of Sports Sciences, Hong Kong Sports Institute and Singapore Sports Institute, will network 82 sports institutes in Asia. This association will share and disseminate knowledge and best practice in the applied coaching and sports science support of Asian Athletes. Aspire Academy hosted development of the association’s constitution and key milestones in preparation for the official launch in Singapore in November 2014.
Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA) – Young investigator Award: Aspire Academy sponsored the Young Investigator Award (YIA), Early Career Researcher and Aspire Academy Internship Award during the 6th ESSA bi-annual conference. The conference attracted over 1100 delegates and resulted in 252 entrants for the above awards which proved to be an excellent profile raising opportunity for both the Academy and AZF.
Aspire Academy Research Committee – The Academy Research Committee has published its terms of reference and approval processes for research projects. Governance procedures for research ethics approval have also been streamlined. Work is commencing on formulation of the Academy Research Strategy which will be populated by the research themes of each business unit in the Academy. This work will be complete by December 2014.
52 Aspire Academy 53 Education And Student Care
Aspire Academy School promotes a responsive educational environment and intercultural experiences to develop the student-athletes academic potential. Through personalized learning and 21st century technology, we develop responsible learners and inspire every student-athlete to make valued contributions to our global community.
Council of International Schools (CIS) Accreditation:
One of the primary development programs being undertaken through the Aspire Academy School is progression towards achieving international standard accreditation through the Council of International Schools.
A milestone activity in this progress was a 4-day observation visit in November 2013 by CIS representatives. As a result of this visit, Aspire Academy has been granted candidate status for accreditation. It is anticipated that we will achieve full accreditation in 2015 which will position the School as a leading provider of international education in Qatar.
Number of Student - Athletes and Graduates Per Year
54 What Aspire Graduates are Doing Now
The following section reviews what graduates are now doing in line with our objective to develop champions in sports and in life:
Aspire Academy 55 The Ceremony recognised the achievement of 33 student-athletes graduating from the Football / Sport and Education program of Aspire Academy in June 2013. The number of graduates, since the first intake passed through the Academy in 2008, is now 185.
56 Aspire Academy Aspire Academy 57 Football Combating Malaria
In association with the Aspire Football Dreams program and the Leo Messi Foundation, Aspire Academy delivered the humanitarian ‘Football Combating Malaria’ campaign to distribute 400,000 anti-mosquito nets across Africa to young people and their families helping to reduce malaria infection across the continent.
Extensive editorial coverage included Eurosport producing a short documentary of the visit to Africa where Messi launched the campaign, which featured on 48 channels in 27 regions.
58 Aspire Academy A Global Brand
Aspire Academy’s brand equity was further enhanced in 2013-14 by the following key brand-building initiatives:
CHAMP Magazine
Introduced in 2013, CHAMP Magazine, is a quarterly magazine that promotes the unique Aspire Academy programs in Football, Performance, Sport, Science, Academics and Aspire Active It is locally and to sports industry influencers abroad.
Al Kass Tournament
As an organizing partner of the Al Kass Tournament, Aspire Academy is the host venue for leading clubs from across the world with a strong youth program. This event, which includes Aspire Academy and Aspire International teams, continues to grow in prestige and profile.
Winter Football Training Camps
Aspire Academy was host venue for the winter training camps of leading European Clubs including Zenit St Petersburg, Red Bull Salzburg, Paris Saint Germain, Schalke 04 and Bayern Munich. In addition to the presence of these clubs and their stars a large amount of European media interest was generated in Aspire Academy and Aspire Zone. As part of their winter camp, Paris Saint Germain played Real Madrid at Khalifa Stadium with Aspire Academy as a major sponsor.
Conferences
Hosting and sponsoring conferences continues to add to the Aspire Academy brand profile. In 2013-14, the Aspire4Education and Talent Identification conferences were conceived and presented at the Academy. Additionally, we were a strategic partner in the following conferences; Global Summit, International Football Arena, International Exhibition and Forum for Education, British Council Researcher Links and Exercise and Sports Science Australia.
TV Magazine show
For the first time, Aspire Academy presented a dedicated magazine show on Al Kass TV providing an insight for the local community into day-to-day sporting and academic activities of our student-athletes.
Documentaries
Documentaries were produced by Al Kass TV profiling the Aspire Academy players on long-term placements with European Clubs including Eupen and Villareal. Eupen, Aspire Zone’s own club in Belgium, was also the feature of its own documentary. In 2013-14, TV commercials showing Aspire Academy as a destination for local sporting talent were screened on Al Kass, Qatar TV, Al Rayyan and BeIn Sports.
Aspire Academy 59 Aspire Active
ASPIRE ACTIVE offers unique pedagogical fitness, health and wellness education programs for the community. Guided by the 2030 Qatar National Vision, it focuses on preventative teen and adult educational fitness and health related exercise programming. The broad variety of scientifically designed classes and courses on offer cater for beginner to advanced users. Detailed attention to instructor’s knowledge, customer care and best practice is the focus of ASPIRE ACTIVE’s program delivery.
Program Overview
• Attendance increased 9% comparative to 2012-13 including a high number of school visits for activities and nutrition education session
• Total class attendance since the program commenced in 2007 is over 1.6 million
• Over 200 different varieties of classes are now offered across ten Program categories for men, women, teenagers and children
• ASPIRE ACTIVE joined Aspetar, Supreme Education Council and Public Health Commissioning Council to develop the National Qatar Active School Program to raise physical activity levels among children
• Select ASPIRE ACTIVE team members joined Aspetar to serve on the Advisory Group tasked with the development of Qatar’s first National Physical Activity Guidelines
60 Aspire Academy Aspire Academy 61 International ‘In House’ Training
To ensure continued world-class instructional delivery and selection scope for the ASPIRE ACTIVE clientele, a series of education sessions were hosted on site. By bringing internationally recognized and accredited experts to Doha, many ASPIRE ACTIVE staff were up-skilled in a specific area of fitness. This allowed ASPIRE ACTIVE to introduce current international Health & Exercise research findings and trends into its scheduling to ensure staff across the board can present such sessions. These courses included the following:
• Advanced Certificate in Operational Excellence (ACOE™): Accredited and approved by QUALIFI in line with the UK’s regulatory framework; April 2013
• Royal Life Savings Society (RLSS) UK National Pool Lifeguard Qualification: September 2013 (ASPIRE ACTIVE and Multi-Skills Sports Development (Girls) staff
• Pre & Post Natal Exercise Design, Level 3 Qualification: Register for Exercise Professionals (REPS); November 2013
• Certificate in Fitness Instructing, Level 2 Qualification - Group Exercise to Music Instructing: European Health & Fitness Association (EHFA); January 2014
• TRX Suspension Training Course, Level 1 Qualification: REPS; February 2014
• TRX RIP® training Course, Level 1 Qualification: REPS; March 2014
• Strength & Conditioning Coach, Level 1 Qualification: Australian Strength and Conditioning Association (ASCA); March 2014
62 Aspire Academy Aspire Academy 63 64 Aspire Academy Aspire Active Events & Partnership
Partnerships
The ASPIRE ACTIVE team participates in and organizes numerous annual events and activities for members and program partners. These focused health and activity awareness campaigns contribute to achieving our strategy of “fostering a healthy and active lifestyle”.
Joint Activities with Qatari Institutions
• Collaboration with the step into health Program: Aspetar; ongoing
• Collaboration with the Qatar Active Schools Program: Aspetar, Supreme Education Council and Public Commissioning Council: ongoing.
• Collaboration with Qatar University, Supreme Council of Health, Primary Health Care Corporation, Hamad Medical Corporation and Aspetar on the development of Qatar’s first National Physical Activity Guidelines; First Edition released in February 2014
• Internship: Qatar University Dietetics Department students; ongoing in conjunction with Aspetar
• Qatar National Sports Day : AZF; February ‘14
Programs
• World Health Day (WHD) “Hypertension” (in collaboration with Aspetar) Ageing & Health, April ‘13
• Nutrition Awareness Campaign “Nutrition for Life”, May 2014
• Men’s Fitness Challenge “Biggest Loser II” April-June 2014
• Women’s Gym Challenge “Shape Up for Summer” May 2014
• “Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyle lecture at Qatar Foundation, June 2014
• Ramadan “Moonlight Fitness” challenge for Men and Women; (in collaboration with AZF) July 2014
• Children’s & Teen Girls Summer Camp; July-August 2014
• Ramadan Aquatics Challenge “20:20 Countdown”; July 2014
• “Heart Day” Awareness Campaign; September 2014
• Breast Cancer Awareness “Walk for Life” Campaign; October 2014
• BeautyFULL Ladies and Teen Girls “Burn it Up”: weight loss and exercise challenge; November 2014
• Qatar National Day Celebrations; December 2014
• Women’s Gym Challenge “New Year, New You”; January – March 2014
• Men’s Fitness “Cycle Mania” Challenge January 2014
• Aquatics Men’s: Diving Dash Showcase’; March 2014
Aspire Academy 65 66 Aspetar Management team
67 Aspetar is on its way to lead the sport medicine domain in the Middle East and the World.
68 Aspetar Aspetar
Over the past 7 years, since Aspetar began its operations in 2007, this esteemed medical institution has continued a path of remarkable growth and progress. With more patients experiencing its services and continued investment in new services, Aspetar is on its way to lead the sport medicine domain in the Middle East and the world. The Aspetar mission is “to assist athletes to achieve their full potential”, and it continues to support the local community, and a growing international community of athletes seeking world-class sports medicine, surgical and rehabilitation services.
Medical care is informed best by world leading research, and as such Aspetar continues to publish peer-reviewed research that is important to Qatar’s athletes, those of the greater Middle East and for those in the world seeking opportunities to continually improve sports performance. Aspetar often sets itself apart from its peers as the knowledge source and facilitator of knowledge sharing - an important part of reaching its vision to be a leader in sports medicine. Aspetar’s vision and mission are all about the benefit of Qatar’s athletes, international athletes, non-athlete patients and partners within Aspire Zone, Qatar, the GCC, and the sporting world.
69 Sports Medicine Department
The Sports Medicine Department is responsible for clinical, research and educational excellence in Sports and Exercise Medicine. The Department’s focus and growth relates to all aspects of physical exercise and how it impacts the community.
The Sports Medicine Department continued its rapid growth this year, with 38% of consultations specific to registered athletes in Qatar, and an increasing number of international athletes from the GCC and further abroad. It also served a community of private patients, predominantly from the local Qatari population where 62% more consultations were provided.
Sports Medicine at Aspetar has many components that include not only access to its consultants but also access for its athletes to a world leading Athlete Screening service. Sports event medical coverage for international competitions is also a major part of Aspetar’s commitment to the local and international community. The WTA and ATP tennis events, the Qatar Masters Golf tournament, and the Diamond League Athletics Championship are a few examples of our presence in support of sport and the community. We also continue to be an important part of planning of medical coverage for Qatar’s 2014 FINA World Cup, World Championship and the 2015 Handball World Championship. Our service knows no borders with additional medical service provided at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the Qatar National Football team as they travel and compete within the region and elsewhere.
Research projects focus on clinically relevant research aimed at changing the way Sports Physicians across the world treat their patients. Two significant projects in the past year related to hamstring and groin injury. The hamstring injury project focused on the use of Platelet Rich Plasma. The results should help to form the basis of clinical decision-making in the future.
Educational projects, focused on the local community, benefited approximately 70 undergraduate and postgraduate medical students from Weill Cornell – Qatar University and Hamad Medical Corporation who gained experience in Sports Medicine. Elective student placements from all over the world also occurred that included international internships, Sports Medicine fellowships and an AFC Fellowship. We also play a role in changing lives in our community through exercise prescription for chronic lifestyle diseases.
70 Aspetar 71 72 Athlete Screening
Aspetar Athlete Screening Department is responsible for performing annual medical assessments on Athletes Registered with the Qatar Olympic Committee. The purpose is to assess for medical contraindications to exercise (including cardiac screening), assess known injures and medical conditions, assess any previously unreported symptoms or injuries, and to assess for risk factors for injury or illness. We continue to grow the service level and those served with approximately 1500 athletes undergoing an annual medical.
Athlete screening impacts not only Qatar but also the greater international community with the publication of multiple articles including one on the Arabic Athlete’s heart. Other ongoing research includes musculoskeletal assessment data to identify risk factors for injury and illness in athletes. This research is aligned to the Aspetar Sports Injury and Illness Prevention Program (ASPREV).
Plans are in place to expand the cardiac screening portion of the medical assessment in the latter half of 2014 with the introduction of a pre-exercise screening questionnaire (PAR-Q) to all football players aged 14 and above. The PAR-Q questionnaire will be completed in the registered clubs of Qatar. Based on the effectiveness of this trial, further expansion of the cardiac screening program to a larger group of registered athletes will occur for even greater impact on our community of athletes.
Aspetar 73 Exercise & Sports Science
The Sports Science Department includes the provision of sports psychology, nutrition, podiatry and physiology services and continues to grow and expand its reach beyond the Aspetar hospital campus into the clubs and federations of Qatar. The past year has seen the implementation of a performance-managed delivery system with a focus on the athlete’s performance success. In the past 12 months, one major focus of the Sports Science Department was to further develop the hospital’s altitude rooms as a provider of “performance driven” support to the local and international communities. Two examples of this addition’s success included the Australian and South African swimming teams who utilized the facility and our expertise in preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Another major commitment with a more local focus was the development of a performance model led by our Lead Psychologist (Performance Manager) and initiated with many of Qatar’s national teams. Our influence in the global instead of the world community of sport and performance management included services to World Squash Players Mohamed El Shorbagy, Marwan El Shorbagy, and Ramy Ashour, ranked 3, 17, and 4, respectively. Our use of technologies to monitor these players and other athletes whether in Doha or elsewhere in the world further extends Aspetar’s influence in the world of sport.
New service provision includes the recent development of Podiatry Triage within Rehabilitation.
For Nutrition we have initiated an “injury clinic” concept with the ACL injured athletes in conjunction with our rehabilitation department as well as addressing the ever-increasing expectation of support of Aspire Academy and its young athletes for nutrition services.
74 Aspetar 75 76 Surgery
The Surgery Department continues to grow both the volume of surgical cases and the availability of sub specialty surgical services provided to our athletes and non-athlete patients. This has been accomplished by expanding the visiting surgeons program and our international surgical expertise through a global recruitment approach with the objective of Aspetar becoming a world leading surgical provider. This strategy has garnered considerable positive results with surgical volumes continuing to increase and subsequently providing more associated educational opportunities.
Aspetar permanent and visiting surgical staff are also involved in the international orthopaedic and sports medicine societies that include ISAKOS, ESSKA and the ACL Study Group furthering the knowledge of sports medicine surgical services as well as Aspetar’s contribution to the local community and the world of sports.
Aspetar 77 Rehabilitation
The Rehabilitation Department seeks to support athletes in reaching their full potential by providing world-class treatment in a state of the art facility. Our clinical excellence, academic leadership and education development distinguish us. Throughout the last year, we have made significant strides in establishing the Master’s Degree Program in Sports Physiotherapy, which will provide students with an exceptional post-graduate opportunity. The curriculum for the program has been developed in-house and we are in the late stages of negotiations with both Queensland University in Australia and Cardiff University in the United Kingdom with the planned intake of students beginning in 2015.
In 2014, we initiated a new service to athletes to aid them in recovering from the intensive activities they are engaged in during Rehabilitation. The Recovery Unit is now partially operational and is led by one of our physiotherapists with the assistance of NSMP massage therapists. In the past year, we also started specialization rehab programs led by two senior physiotherapists both for knee and shoulder, which is aligned with our vision of developing highly skilled and specialized practitioners in areas most relevant to our practice by developing a two-year curriculum.
In 2013-2014, we offered a course every month of the season and invited world- renowned experts to deliver these courses. The number of patients on waiting list has been effectively controlled throughout the year, an improvement over 2013. The reorganization of the ACL group through the review of treatment protocols and an increased staff to patient ratio has been another positive development. With the opening of the new physical training area, and the availability of new equipment, we have implemented new training techniques for our patients.
78 Aspetar 79 80 Nursing
What the Aspetar Nursing Department brings to our athletic community both local and international is a steadfast commitment to patient care, improved safety and quality with a goal for better patient outcomes. We provide leadership through nursing practice transformation by using evidence-based practice, career development, workforce management and leadership excellence. The goal is to improve the health and ultimately the lives of athletes.
The Nursing strategic plan for Aspetar provides the road map for nursing to initiate and support key actions that shape the envisioned future for the hospital.
Sports Dentistry
The Sports Dentistry Department continues to make significant contributions to athlete care. Athlete volumes continued to grow; providing more athletes with the treatment they need and allowing us to assist them in achieving their full potential through excellent dental health. We motivate our patients to perform good oral health care, and we maintain compliance through continual educational programs.
In the past year, we contributed to the education of Qatar and region by holding a workshop on oral injuries and prevention; an educational session beneficial to the athlete, coaches and club doctors tasked with their care and performance.
We are currently in the process of developing an ongoing workshop for Aspire students on oral health, injuries and prevention. Our clinic offers prevention services in oral injuries through custom-made mouth guards fabricated within our dental lab facilities.
Medical Imaging
Radiology is an extremely dynamic field in medicine today. Aspetar has been able to keep up with the latest technology offered with the recent installation of our 3 Tesla GE magnet (MRI). This addition has allowed us to reduce patient waiting times from up to 3 weeks to 1 day.
We continue to expand and will be adding a new plain film unit in the new North expansion in the coming year. We are determined to take a leadership position in sports injury imaging. Our research in sports imaging continues with the T2 mapping of cartilage. With this technology and advanced care we have offered the latest in diagnostic imaging and therapy to our athletes and many others in the population of Qatar.
Aspetar 81 Pharmacy
The Aspetar Pharmacy Department continues to support the diverse medication related requirements of Aspetar, across AZF and through the NSMP to the clubs and federations of Qatar.
The Pharmacy Department has strived to improve and adapt medication management processes for the benefit of the clients we serve. This includes the design and implementation of an SMS alert system for patients to inform them when medications are ready to collect. Education of each patient is key to the high standard of care provided. The Pharmacy Department also organized in the past year for two leading speakers in Sports Pharmacy to speak during Pharmacy day. The event attracted 124 attendees mostly from external institutes. The Drugs in Sport workshop was filled to capacity with 51 attendees. We are committed to leading the way in the growing specialty of Sports Pharmacy services.
Laboratory
For the Aspetar laboratory department, the last year presented a wide range of challenges as well as exciting new opportunities to maximize the health of athletes, non-athlete patients and staff. Our lab implemented remarkable new technology in serology, endocrinology and microbiology by applying high-throughput automation to reduce turnaround time and improve quality. Our work during the year also included our preparation for accreditation by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) with a survey visit in 2014. CAP is a rigorous accreditation process designed to ensure laboratories have standard operation procedures in place that conform to current best practices standards, and implemented by highly trained laboratory staff.
With CAP accreditation in place, we are then planning to expand our outreach to deliver additional health services to the community beside our existing patients. In the past year we worked with the Nursing Department to develop a quality Point of Care Testing, ensuring high quality specimen processing even at the bedside. This builds on previous successful partnerships particularly in the screening departments of both Aspetar and Aspire Academy.
Our commitment to the support of research was demonstrated through the processing of 4121 research samples at our lab in the past year alone. Our efforts to improve quality include creation of the Specimen Collection Manual developed to guide to clinicians, nurses and other healthcare workers and the use of the newly developed website where patient education was provided to improve both patient compliance and satisfaction.
82 Aspetar 83 84 Quality Management
Quality Management staff were involved with all departments and supported training in quality concepts and outreach to the community through hosting of the 2nd Annual United in Quality and Safety Week. Members of the community in attendance besides staff from the Aspire Zone Foundation included: College of North Atlantic-Qatar, Qatar University, Hamad Medical Corporation, Al Ahli Hospital, and Qatar Petroleum (QP). Training in Failures Modes Effects Analysis was offered to staff as a proactive initiative to ensure safety of new processes and devices.
Quality Management also had a key role working with the Supreme Council of Health in the development of the Health Services Provider Agreement and with other initiatives related to quality and safety in Qatar. Quality Management and the hospital were very successful in pursuing and facilitating successful re-certification with ISO 14001 and FIFA F-MARC and in the region worked to support Aspetar’s certification as a GCC Health Ministers’ Council Collaborating Center, the only reference centre in Sports Medicine. The coming year will include support for the CAP accreditation process, recertification as a GCC Reference Centre and pursuit of an international accreditation with Accreditation Canada International.
Aspetar 85 Infection Control
In the past year the Prevention and Control of Infection Committee (PCIC) was reinstated. The PCI program through the PCIC and its Chair liaises across the hospital and its many departments, Aspire Zone Food Safety committee, and with the Communicable Diseases Department of the Supreme Council of Health. The Program functions in accordance with national and international guidelines and best practice.
Progress has been made to reduce surgical site infections to zero and sustain the improvement of infection control practices. The enhanced Surgical Site Infection Prevention Bundle provided 100% compliance with surgical antibiotic prophylaxis. Our Surgical Site Infection rates are well below international standards. A wound assessment tool was introduced and further improved and standardized wound management in Aspetar. Hand Hygiene improved steadily in all clinical departments with some units achieving more than the expected goal of 95%. The PCI was also responsible for the Flu immunization program; an annual campaign demonstrating positive growth for vaccinating staff, their families, and athletes meant that 1932 individuals received the vaccine in 2013 compared to 1690 vaccinated in 2012, and 653 vaccinated in 2011.
Education is a key component of the PCI program. The PCI team delivered training on key practices of infection prevention and control to Aspetar clinical and non- clinical staff, to the NSMP and to housekeeping contractors. Education extends to the community and our patients through leaflets available to the public at our clinics and from the Aspetar website.
86 Aspetar 87 88 Programs & Centers of Excellence
National Sports Medicine Program (NSMP)
NSMP Clubs & Federations / Medical & Sports Science Services
The NSMP has grown substantially in the past year and when projecting the business plans and aspirations of both Aspetar and the NSMP, it is set to grow significantly more. We continue to place medical services within Clubs and Federations for the benefit of registered athletes.
Another example of this growth is the Excellence in Football Project that is developing strongly within the Football Clubs.
All these activities are supported by a 300-strong NSMP team that seek to effectively link the daily activity in the Clubs, Federations, Aspire Academy and other stakeholders with that of Aspetar.
NSMP Event Coverage
NSMP is set to provide medical coverage to over 100 national and international events in 2014/2015. Working in partnership with the QOC the NSMP continues to upgrade and introduce new venues, clinics, pharmacy, rehab and physiotherapy areas, massage therapy space and sports science into the clubs and federations.
As of today, there are 33 different construction projects being worked on by the NSMP in conjunction with the QOC, SCDL, and Aspire Zone. The work includes utilizing existing facilities and turning them into physiotherapy & rehabilitation spaces; converting changing rooms into Sports Science labs; providing medical facility design review for the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SCDL) (formerly Q22) at 3 proposed new football stadiums and the surrounding precinct. There are also QOC projects for new multipurpose halls at Lusail, Al Sadd and Lekhwiya in support of the World Handball Championships. Three new multi-level Aspetar Sports Medicine Clinics to provide a legacy to the Clubs, are in the design phase and will be incorporated at the 3 FIFA World Cup 2022 site precincts.
A two story Aspetar medical center at Al Wakrah Sports Club will open in December 2014 and an identical medical center in 2015 at Al Khor Sports Club. Five second- division clubs administration buildings are being renovated into 5 medical clinics, completion is expected by March 2015.
Aspetar 89 Aspetar Sport Injury & Illness Prevention Program (ASPREV)
The ASPREV Program is designed to build on the strengths of Aspetar and the National Sports Medicine Program, and the objectives are to establish a long term research program on injury and illness prevention (including studies on basic epidemiology, risk factors, injury mechanisms and interventions), to form collaborative relationships with individuals, institutions and organizations to improve athlete health, to implement applied, ongoing and novel research development within the framework and long-term strategy of the IOC, to set up knowledge translation mechanisms to share scientific research results with the Olympic Movement and the wider sports community world-wide, and to develop the Athlete PHE program to cater for the different groups of athletes competing in Qatar. The Head of ASPREV is Professor Roald Bahr.
90 91 92 Healthy Lifestyle Program
The Healthy Lifestyle Program aims to positively influence activity levels and nutrition among the people of Qatar. The following are the major initiatives under this program.
Exercise is Medicine® Qatar (EIM) is a global initiative, managed in Qatar by Aspetar. EIM is focused on encouraging health care providers, regardless of specialty, to review and assess every patient’s physical activity levels at every visit. step into health (SIH) is an initiative designed to engage the people of Qatar in a self-managed lifelong program based on a moderate amount of daily healthy activity. This program is encouraging each person to walk 10,000 steps and more a day in a non- competitive, recreational and social approach. It offers a free pedometer or Smartphone pedometer application to track steps as well as designated steps-calculated routes in various malls and parks to know the number of steps you can walk. In addition, SIH has a personalized interactive website to monitor your progress, free online assistance and support and bimonthly magazine. Throughout the year, there will be several enjoyable events for everyone. namat.qa is an open national and regional public Health educational platform developed by Healthy Lifestyle Program in Aspetar. It is designed to focus on promoting a healthy lifestyle and creating public awareness of related topics of physical activity and nutrition in Qatar and other Arabic societies.
Qatar Active Schools (QAS) is an evidence-based best practices model to enhance the physical, mental, and social development of every child in Qatar by incorporating physical activity into the culture of schools and sustaining it through school, family and community partnerships.
Harraka-Wa-Sehha (HWS) is an afterschool activity program that aims to develop an interactive sport-based health education for children as one of Aspetar initiatives to promote physical activity and reduce risk of chronic disorders among children in Qatar.
93 Sports Surgery Training Centre
The Sports Surgery Training Center is a new project in Aspetar that emphasizes best education in surgical training, which will enhance surgical performance for local, regional and surgeons from other areas of the world. Aspetar will be the first hospital in the region to develop and provide such a service. Currently, initial steps of planning are occurring and in 2015 the Sports Surgery Training Center will be accepting surgeons to train in the state of the art surgery training programs.
94 Sports Cartilage Centre
The Sports Cartilage Centre is one of the new centers of excellence in our hospital that is in the planning phase. This center will implement the latest technologies and systematic treatments of cartilage injuries provided for elite athletes to improve their cartilage healing process and performance. Professor Matts Brittberg is the strategic leader for this important project.
95 Sports Spine Centre
Spinal pain can considerably impact on sporting performance and has the potential to be career ending. Furthermore, spinal pain is highly prevalent in the Qatari community and this is of concern, as spinal pain is the main cause of years lived with disability. The goal of the proposed Aspetar Spinal Pain Centre of Excellence is to develop a multi-disciplinary service, which treats patients according to current best practice.
The Centre will involve a multi-disciplinary approach that involves patients having access to one or more of the following services if required; Surgery, Sports Medicine, Radiology, Neurology, Physiotherapy, Psychology, Biomechanics and Exercise Therapy. It is planned that the Centre will begin with reduced scope in 2015 and will then gradually increase in size while providing comprehensive education to staff so that best practices are routinely adopted before the Centre reaches its full capacity in 2020. The Centre will also produce applied research that will inform clinical practice and education. Professor Angus Burnett is the strategic leader for this project.
96 Sports Groin Pain Centre The Aspetar Sport’s Groin Pain Centre has had a productive year. The centre has established a multi-disciplinary clinic for athletes with groin injuries. The centre focuses on a multidisciplinary team concept that includes a sports physician, general surgeon and physiotherapist, all with a special interest in groin injuries. The clinic serves Qatari athletes from all levels of sport. We also regularly see international athletes, of which, the majority come from the GCC countries. Our visiting experts, Giles Reboul, a French general surgeon and Professor Per Holmich, Danish orthopaedic surgeon and Head of the Sports Groin Pain Center, who is Head of the Sports Groin Pain Center, support the clinic.
Education is also an important component of the Centre. The centre has guest-edited a special targeted topic issue of the Aspetar sports medical journal on “Groin Pain”. Aspetar hosted the 2013 conference on diagnostics in groin pain that was attended by a number of medical professionals from Qatar and other GCC countries. In November 2014, the Sports Groin Pain Centre will host the 1st World Conference on Groin Pain in Athletes. The conference will be held over 3 days, with more than 25 invited speakers. It is expected that many professionals from Qatar and the GCC will attend. After the conference, 20 experts will stay on to hold the first agreement meeting on groin pain in athletes, which will be hosted and led by Aspetar.
Aspetar 97 Research & Education Centre
Research
In keeping with the Emiree Decree, Aspetar has consistently invested in people and infrastructure to be at the forefront of innovation.
Specifically in 2013, over 100 Aspetar staff members were actively involved in producing research (through research planning, execution and dissemination). Over 30 different Aspetar researchers were research paper authors and invited conference speakers within the GCC or internationally. One of our KPIs is ‘peer-reviewed publications’, an international measure of research innovation. In 2013, we published 88 such papers, twice more than our 2011 level.
Aspetar’s 4 research pillars are Prevention, Clinical, Athlete Health and Performance, Healthy Lifestyle Program. We are training a new generation of excellent young researchers, including PhD trainees, among clinicians and sports scientists. Aspetar is working with the world’s first tier of experts in key fields and has invested in critical software that will automate and enhance processes.
Education
Responsibility for Aspetar Education sits within the Department of Research and Education and its Director, Professor Karim Khan. Governance is via the CMO’s Education Subcommittee. Each Clinical Department is in itself strongly committed to education and the CMO’s Education Subcommittee provides a vehicle for coordination. The Education Subcommittee also facilitates initiatives at the Aspetar level such as conferences that are developed with multi-Department input.
Education opportunities in 4 broad categories include:
1. Professional Education 2. Scholarship-students enrolled in formal degree granting courses 3. Patient Education 4. Community Outreach and Engagement
A highlight of 2013-14 professional education was the Shoulder and the Knee Specialization courses run within the Rehabilitation Department with support from other departments within Aspetar. Multidisciplinary Professional Education comes in the form of the very well attended and high quality Aspetar Tuesday Lectures (equivalent to ‘Grand Rounds’ in a traditional hospital) as well as dedicated in-house conferences that fill the Auditorium (160 seats). In the category of Scholarship, Aspetar has 8 PhD trainees currently enrolled at various universities in Europe and Australia; two will be graduating during 2014. Patient Education is addressed using a range of multi-media including pamphlets, engaging video material and increasingly, social media in collaboration with the Marketing Department. The most extensive Community Outreach and Engagement in Aspetar comes from the Healthy Lifestyle Department under the leadership of Dr Mohamed Ghaith Alkuwari. Printed magazines, an active website, mobile applications (Apps) and in-store prompts have brought ‘step into health’ to the forefront of many people’s lives in Qatar. The program was highlighted at the 1st National Physical Activity Conference held at the Torch in Aspire Zone in February 2014.
98 99 Aspetar Journal
The Aspetar Sports Medicine Journal presents a multidisciplinary approach to sports medicine. The aim is to provide all professionals who are concerned with health and athletes with reliable and current information so that they may improve athlete care. Our unique interviews with world-class athletes help sports medicine professionals gain insight into what it takes to build a champion.
The Aspetar Sports Medicine Journal has recently launched its own website, which promotes Qatar and Aspetar internationally. We are working towards incorporating Arabic extracts on the website to make the publication more accessible to the wider community. For highlighted articles of the publications, please check page 107. Human Resources (HR)
Our aim is to provide employees with clear and transparent performance expectations through the use of SMART objectives and a detailed Behavioral Competency Framework. Appraisal of staff is done twice a year, and this is further linked to our staff reward system through Pay for Performance. A success rate of 98% was achieved.
In support of Qatarization, Aspetar has a Practicum Agreement with the University of Calgary in Qatar. In the last year, 9 local trainee nurses undertook a supervised final year practice within Aspetar as part of their nursing qualification. Aspetar is pursuing the sponsorship of future Qatari nurse students from this program so we can actively employ more Qatari nurses. Aspetar is also in discussions with the Pharmacy Faculty at the University of Qatar to set up a Practicum Agreement targeting Qatari Pharmacy students.
In terms of staff resourcing, Aspetar undertook several successful international recruitment campaigns to Greece, Serbia and the Philippines. We were able to recruit key clinical staff to key positions within our hospital and the NSMP. Aspetar also targeted key conferences, such as the European Congress of Sports Science annual conference to attract key sports science talent. 100 List of Highlighted Articles
April 2013 Volume 2 Targeted Topic 1 (Sports Medicine in Football)
Key articles include:
• Ramadan and Football, • Adjustments in Football performance under heat and stress, • Hydration strategies for Football, • Sudden death in Football, • Screening in Football players.
June 2013 Volume 2 Issue 2
Key articles include:
• Exercise and oxidative stress; an exercise paradox, • The importance of anatomy in diagnosing ankle sprain, • PCL injury diagnosis and treatment, • Throwing is the most important thing humans have ever done!
August 2013 Volume 2 Issue 3
Key articles include:
• SPRNT MECHANICS new technology, concepts, • ACUTE MUSCLE INJURY What have we learnt? • Achilles TENDON RUPTURE Surgical or non-surgical?
December 2013 Volume 2 Issue 4
Key articles include:
• Neuro-muscular function, • Concussion management in 2014, • ACL Reconstruction, • Exercise and cartilage status.
February 3 2014 Volume 3 Issue 1
Key articles include:
• Overtraining syndrome, • Role of Sports Med Physician, • ACI for Cartilage repair, • Clinical Neurodynamics.
101 Finance
Aspetar is funded through Government Grants directly from the Ministry of Finance. The Finance Department is responsible for the financial well being of Aspetar through the provision of effective and reliable financial advice, services and information to management. The Finance Department oversees the expenditure of these funds through a meticulous annual budget process and training to end user departments to ensure financial processes are followed. Document Control
The Document Control Department, together with the implementation of the EDMS (Electronic Document Management) system, have created various workflows to automate documents and thus decrease use of paper, ensure confidentiality and increase productivity within Aspetar, neighboring Business Units and outside entities. These initiatives have helped support Aspetar’s ISO 14001 Accreditation on the environment. Healthcare Informatics
Through the proper use of technology, safe care is provided to our patients efficiently and timely in order to provide for the best patient experience and healing process. The IT Department is present in the patient care process in virtually all aspects of care provision, thus ensuring the highest possible degree of health and wellbeing for all of the community we serve.
102 Facilities & Support Services
Facilities and Support Services is comprised of four critical support areas that allow for the safe, cost effective support of clinical functions and areas of operational support.
Procurement and Contracts Department
The Procurement and Contracts Department is dedicated to the improvement of customer satisfaction, and procurement system with a focus on our customers/end users.
Guest Services
Guest services are the first contact for many of our patients and visitors. The past year has seen considerable effort in ensuring that those first interactions are always successful ones. Guest Services has recruited 12 candidates for various vacancies and a Customer Service training workshop was provided to all frontline staff in June/July 2013. This investment in education will continue with annual training planned.
Guest Services conducted a Patient satisfaction Survey/questionnaire for new and follow up patients from September to November 2013. Overall patient feedback was satisfactory with further satisfaction scores in early 2014 demonstrating general very satisfied responses to the knowledge and customer experience. Technology improvements will include the implementation of new reporting software for all switchboards to track calls made to and from Aspetar and patient appointment SMS reminders.
Biomedical Engineering Department
Biomedical Engineering assists Aspetar, and Aspire Academy health clinic, by ensuring the availability of well maintained, functional and calibrated medical devices. Our goal is to effectively and efficiently help Aspetar in growing, leading and changing people’s lives.
Biomedical Engineering continues in assisting the Healthy Lifestyle Program (HLP) in establishing its new clinics. The biomedical staff support clinical and research teams develop specifications and manage medical resources to achieve more precise and reliable data for studies and services. The team directly supports sports clubs and federations across Qatar in managing their medical resources hand in hand with NSMP management from procurement stage, usage until maintenance services
103 Occupational Health & Safety
We are mainly focused on developing safety-promotion and knowledge-sharing activities. We do this through structured education, environmental rounds and teaching and through use of the latest technology.
Safety at Aspetar
Patient, guest and staff safety are priorities of AZF and Aspetar. Safety is provided through design, in the building process and upkeep of the Hospital and its surrounding environment. A committed team of facility experts conducts routine environmental rounds and provides feedback about the complex systems of the hospital. Adequate staffing to support occupational health and safety, food services, security, pest control, and housekeeping services augments these thorough physical checks. We also extend safety training to those contracted for hospital services.
Patient safety is our main focus as an organization. We continually train our staff to meet evidenced based safety guidelines in critical areas such as our surgical services and infection control throughout the hospital, outpatient and inpatient care settings. We are proud of our success in ensuring each patient is safe during their stay. We track our performance to ensure patient safety occurs during surgical procedures and the inpatient and outpatient visit.
Safety performance measures of 2013/14 reporting year include:
• 0% Surgical Site Infection rate;
• 0% Healthcare Associated Infection rate;
• 100% compliance to surgical timeouts in the Operating Theatres;
• 93.4% pain assessment compliance rate;
• and a falls rate in the inpatient units of 1.1.
These safety measures are continuously monitored and improved to ensure the safety of patients, staff and other guests of Aspetar.
104 List of Educational Activities Hosted by Aspetar
105 Aspetar Figures of the Year
Surgeries Outpatient Department
2011-2012 192 33 325 2011-2012 9,336 12,692
2012-2013 167 54 320 2012-2013 8,938 12,117
2013-2014 200 63 372 2013-2014 9,426 15,411
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 - 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000
Athletes International Athletes Non Athletes Athletes Non Athletes
Surgical activity has increased to achieve more than 600 case/year Almost 25.000 patients treated
Inpatient Discharges Athlete Screening
2011-2012 537 2011-2012 2,475
2012-2013 536 2012-2013 3,097
2013-2014 665 2013-2014 3,665
- 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 - 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000
Inpatient discharges significantly increased to almost 700 Sports screening provided to more than 3665 athletes/year
Rehabilitation - Male Rehabilitation - Female
2011-2012 19,477 18,473 2011-2012 1,140 7,306
2012-2013 17,466 21,138 2012-2013 1,037 5,589
2013-2014 15,662 21,246 2013-2014 1,307 7,220
- 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 40,000 45,000 - 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000
Athletes Non Athletes Athletes Non Athletes
Rehabilitation - Fitness Rehabilitation - Hydro
2011-2012 7,135 2,973 2011-2012 3,668 4,657
2012-2013 7,481 2,226 2012-2013 2,682 4,196
2013-2014 6,840 2,697 2013-2014 2,012 4,111
- 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 - 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000
Athletes Non Athletes Athletes Non Athletes
Increase in the rehabilitation treatment for females athletes compared to males and a significant decrease in the rehabilitation hydrotherapy
106 Rehabilitation - Total
International Athletes 2011- 2012 31,420 33,409 2011-2012 323
2012-2013 28,666 33,149 2012-2013 366
2013-2014 25,821 35,274 2013-2014 404
- 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 - 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450
Athletes Non Athletes
Rehabilitation treatment has been provided to more than 60 000 patients in one year Aspetar has attracted more than 400 international athletes in one year
SCH Referrals Sports Dentistry
2011-2012 6,851 2012-2013 4,260 606 2012-2013 6,744
2013-2014 8,671 2013-2014 4,676 551
- 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 - 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000
Athletes Non Athletes
8 671 Supreme council of health referrals in one year Significant increase in sports dentistry treatment (More than 5000 patients treated in one year)
Pharmacy OPD Prescription Laboratory Services
2012-2013 2,743 5,585 2012-2013 124,041
2013-2014 4,057 7,274 2013-2014 114,000
- 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 - 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 120,000 140,000
Athletes Non Athletes
Significant increase in the pharmaceutical activity (almost reached 12 000 OPD prescriptions) Aspetar Laboratory provided more than 114 000 services in one year
Medical Imaging
2013-2012 6,768 6,249
2014-2013 6,746 8,446
- 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000 16,000
Athletes Non Athletes
Over 15,000 imaging procedures were performed during the year
107 108 Aspire Logistics Aspire Logistics 109 110 Aspire Logistics Aspire Logistics(AL)
Building on the successes of previous years, Aspire Logistics maintained its globally recognized performance across the spectrum of services it provides. The growth in achievements, over the past year, reflected the effective performance- based culture of AL and constituted a step closer towards making AL a global center of excellence across all departments.
Venues and Events Department
The Department exceeded expectations last year not only by developing and growing community-based events but also by landing more than one world championship.
Many of the events managed by the Department focus on the participation of Qatar’s population, and as such there has been a notable increase across a number of regular events focused on the community. Regular Aquathons, for example, have seen an increase from 60 per race to over 400 competitors.
New facilities are expected to present a broad range of new opportunities for the Department to encourage Qatar’s residents to participate in events and improve their healthy lifestyle.
111 Events and Camps
New additions for this year included the first official ultra-marathon to be held in the Middle East and Arabian Gulf. The 6:50 (meaning 6 hours and/or 50kms) run attracted over 200 runners. Following this success, Aspire Zone has been awarded to World Trophy Final (50kms) in October 2014 and the World Championship 100kms in November 2014. Another event, which has developed into a World Championship, is the annual Torch Tower Run. The March 2015 edition will now comprise of the World Championship attracting elite athletes from all over the world. A number of national athletic teams, including the GB Archery Team and the South African Swimming Team, visited the Zone for the first time to take advantage of the excellent training facilities.
112 Aspire Logistics 113 114 Aspire Logistics Facility Management(FM) Department
Backed by a growing team of professionals, and a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), the Department has established itself as a leader in Qatar; capable of handling the smooth management of all AZF facilities and potentially other projects for external clients.
Over the past year, the FM Department succeeded in:
• Delivering 56 Projects, in comparison to 32 in ‘12/’13, with a capital value of QAR 47 Million
• Streamlining the PPM and CM supply chain, thus decreasing expenditure, bringing the number of supply chain contractors to 63 as opposed to 73 in ‘12/’13, and successfully delivering PPM and CM with a capital value of QAR 39 Million
• Preparing Khalifa Stadium for handover for refurbishment as part of the 2022 requirements
115 Sport Turf and Landscaping Department
Figures from the Turf & Landscape
Number of Trees Planted & Size of Grass Growing
Aspire Zone site
• Natural turf football pitches x 11 (new one added in Sept 2013)
• Artificial urft football pitches FIFA 2 star type x 3 (new one added in Aug 2013)
• Mini artificial urft pitches FIFA 1 star type free for public usage x 8 (usage commenced in Aug 2013)
• Indoor plants x 1400 with additional delivered and supplied to new AL offices x 387 and Aspetar expansion x 450 = 2,237 total
• Trees x 1470 with additional x 120 coming in Sept 2014 from Malaysia
• Turf size = 188,000 m2
Park
• Trees x 806 (new trees where installed from Dec to March via Australia, China, Spain and Thailand)
• Natural turf football pitches x 2
• Mini artificial urft pitches FIFA 1 star type for public usage x 4 (usage commenced in Aug 2013)
• Turf size = 516,691 m2
116 Aspire Logistics 117 118 Aspire Logistics Business Systems Section
The Business Systems had an exceptional year when it became the 1st in the MENA region to implement an integrated Event and Venue Management System.
Bridge, a system developed by AZF’s IT Department, was rolled out with great success in numerous events including:
1. Aspire U-18 Tournament
2. 4th kyorugi taekwondo championship for men - Qatar 2013
3. Aspire4Sport 2013
4. Iker Casillas Goalkeepers Workshop 2013
5. Qatar National Sports Day 2014
Marketing Section
The efforts exerted by the Marketing Section directly helped to dramatically elevate the results of the events and camps held at Aspire this year. An example of such results was the highest number, 13, of Elite Camps attracted to the Zone in any given year.
119 120 Aspire Logistics 121 122 Aspire Logistics 123 124