SEASON 2016/17 ASPIRE TODAY INSPIRE TOMORROW 2 CONTENT 3 6 EDITORIAL 4 THE ASPIRE WAY OF 10 INTERPRETING FOOTBALL 6 QUICK FACTS 10 HOSTING THE WORLD 14 GENERATION 1999 (U18) 16 TOURNAMENTS 1999 (U18) 18 GENERATION 2000 (U17) 30 ABOUT TOURNAMENTS 2000 (U17) 32 THE PLAYERS OF HONOUR 42 GENERATION 2001 (U16) 44 ASPIRE ACADEMY TOURNAMENTS 2001 (U16) 46 42 GENERATION 2002 (U15) 58 TOURNAMENTS 2002 (U15) 60 Aspire Academy first opened its doors in 2004 and is considered to be one of the leading sports STANDING TALL IN BELGIUM’S ELITE LEAGUE 72 institutions in the Middle East. The Academy offers an integrated educational programme of GENERATION 2003 (U14) 74 sports development, sports science and acade- TOURNAMENTS 2003 (U14) 76 mic learning to boys aged 12 to 18. The school GENERATION 2004 (U13) 88 develops well-educated sports champions and TOURNAMENTS 2004 (U13) 90 aims to become the world’s leading sports aca- demy for young athletes by 2020. A SMOOTH TRANSITION 102 GENERATION 2005 (U12) 104 TOURNAMENTS 2005 (U12) 105 GENERATION 2006 (U11) 107 72 TOURNAMENTS 2006 (U11) 108 IMPRINT 2016-17 SEASON STATISTICS 110 Publisher: Aspire Academy, PO Box 22287, Doha, Qatar. Photo Credits: Aspire Academy. Content: Aspire Academy Football Operations / Aspire Academy Marketing & Communications Department © 2016 Aspire Academy 4 5 and being exposed to the public. The TRI-SERIES offers the visiting football talents not only the opportunity to get a glimpse of Middle Eastern culture or to get to know the host country of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This experience also opens the door for a unique multicultural exchange and the possibility to overcome prejudices by being exposed to peers from different countries, religions and backgrounds. In total, 1.500 players, coaches and support staff get on a plane to Doha every year for the sake of competing against the Academy teams. A big number that requires helping hands from a variety of departments to guarantee a smoo- th event. From arranging flights to dealing with visa applications, to having photo shoots and keeping the pitches in perfect condition, ever- ything has to be considered when it comes to the success of the TRI-SERIES. Before a ball is kicked lie months of careful planning and selecting teams that create a good mix of different playing styles and football philosophies. The fact that clubs are happy to return after coming here once shows the high standing the TRI-SERIES has received over the years. We take it as a compliment and understand it as a mis- sion not only to keep the current level, but to improve it in order to make this experience for the young players and everyone involved even EDITORIAL: more rewarding. Stephan Hildebrandt Manager Football Operations A WELL- Aspire Academy ROUNDED Without any doubt, the TRI-SERIES tournament Aspire Academy’s student-athletes are eager to EXPERIENCE has reached a new level in the 2016-17 sea- compete, to be challenged by clubs from all over son. The competition, launched in 2012, serves the world and to win as many games and tour- as Aspire Academy’s yardstick to compare, to naments in their respective age group. It has be- benchmark and compete against the best youth come evident that Aspire players have mentally teams in the world. It has grown into a brand moved on from being able to merely compete to that is well-known locally and internationally being able to win. recognized. The competition prepares the boys beyond just This positive development is the result of a great sporting competition as the matches are cover- team effort across the board with the Academy ed by external and internal media, which helps players and staff fully identifying with the tour- the boys to develop a certain level of professio- nament. They have made it their championship. nalism when it comes to dealing with journalists 6 7 THE ASPIRE WAY of football that is recognized by people as the to understand the game, to show the right “Aspire way” of interpreting and playing football. attitude in training, to know about tactics and what his position demands from him. He needs Developing young footballers does not happen to develop the skills to evaluate the game, to OF INTERPRETING overnight. It’s a long term process. Professional read and interpret situations and show tactical football is very focused on competition and intelligence. For the coaches that requires to be results, whereas we have to focus on different innovative in order to have players adapting to FOOTBALL aspects in order to prepare our players for the demands of high performance football. the challenges ahead. The coaches have to constantly ask themselves: What are the needs Therefore, for a deeper understanding of the of the individual player? That starts with sport, it is important that players are flexible simple things such as sharing the same culture and can think outside the box. No matter what and work ethic in training and in the game. challenges they face, they should be able to adapt and overcome these obstacles. That is There are a number of things that young players the claim of Aspire Academy’s football program need to learn in order to become a professional and this approach is not only limited to the football player. In our methodology we try to boys’ development as a player, but also as a identify the aspects that guarantee players the person. We are eager to see them challenged biggest chance for a smooth transition from in different environments besides participating youth to adult football. We want our players in international tournaments abroad. The For us at Aspire Academy, every player is a with a professional football team, that is more project. And for every project it is important to focused on results and achievements of a team. know about where to start and where you want In order to achieve our goals, it is also important to go. In this environment, our main goal is the that everyone that is involved in the process long term development of individual players. speaks the same language and follows the same An objective that differs a lot from working football methodology. We aim to create a culture 8 9 What should differentiate our players from others is the way they look at situations and what decisions they make. Decisions that are proof that we have established a high performance football culture in developing players that are able to successfully make the transitional steps from youth to professional football. And in order to get to this point, the TRI-SERIES is a valuable tool that teaches them a lot about decision making whether right or wrong Edorta Murua Technical Director Football Department best of them also get the chance to spend a good option to finish?. In the end, the outcome some months training with youth teams of top of every game is a result of the decision of the clubs in Europe, through our HOPE Project. individual player’s interpretations of different situations among these, space, opponents and In terms of a development as a player, each one teammates on the pitch. of them adapts to the Aspire way of interpreting football the longer he stays within our system. For this reason, the individual improvement The focus is on the three main aspects: of every player always has to be present in our Individual Assessment, Decision Making and work at the Academy. They better they read Game Interpretation. When a player gets the and understand the game, the faster they will ball, he has to assess the situation instantly identify game specific situations and know what and decide what to do next. They have to take to do best in different scenarios. Therefore, the responsibility if they want to have an impact preparation of each player from a spatial and on the game and therefore they need to think positional perspective is something that he has through as they play. Is it worth going into a one- to work on before, during and after a game. versus-one? Is it better to play a pass or is there 10 11 2. ORGANISING THE TOURNAMENT The tournament series presents a mammoth organisational task, involving several depart- ments within Aspire Academy. Every element is meticulous planned – across catering, trans- port, visas, flights, accommodation, interpreta- tion, hiring referees, provision of medical care, PR and much more besides. The Football Ope- rations team from the Academy plays an import- ant role working with the clubs before their trips to handle visas along with a range of other orga- nisational tasks. 3. ON-SITE SUPPORT Once the teams arrive, they are welcomed by a team guide who accompanies them during their entire stay in Doha. Accommodation at Aspire Zone, in the ‘Torch Hotel’, ensures the teams are only a short distance from where the games take place. Aspire Academy’s pitches are just a five minute-walk away, so is the Academy’s cafe- teria, where the visiting teams are served lunch and dinner. Medical assistance is provided by the Academy’s “Medical Centre.” 4. COVERING OFF THE FORMALITIES QUICK FACTS 1. TEAM SELECTION Before the first match kicks off on the first day of the tournament, the team coordinators gather Each season, the Tri-Series brings club teams, in the morning for a technical meeting at Aspire Since it was launched in 2012, the Tri-Series has national youth teams and players from aca- Academy. There the clubs are given an overview demy teams around the world to Doha. These of the format of the tournament by Stephan played a major role in the development of Aspire teams are selected to participate in the tourna- Hildebrandt, Manager Football Operations.