As the first ever coaching collaboration between the English Football Association (FA) and the Oman Football Association comes to a close in Muscat, we wanted to take a look back at all that has been achieved during the 8-day football coach training course.
Here are some quotes from the Omani and UK coaches reflecting on what they’ve learned from the course and how it will help them moving forward:
Omani coach Hasna Al-Mosawi: “I’m a former national team player and I’ve been coaching for almost 3 years now. For us to get the opportunity to join this course with the England Football Association has opened our eyes in terms of what we’ve learned before. What they taught us during this course was hugely beneficial for us and will help me be a better coach for my players.”
Omani coach Hassan Yousuf Al-Ghilani: “It has been an enjoyable and greatly beneficial course. Thank you to the British Omani Society to the UK FA coaches for this valuable experience. The transfer of knowledge and experience between the coaches has been easy and very helpful for all parties. I wish all the coaches on this course the best and hope we can apply these teachings to the young players in the academy moving forward.”
Omani coach trainee Maather Al-Harthy: “The coaches talked about having a philosophy during your sessions. Seeing how the UK coaches’ approach coaching made me think about taking my own philosophy and making it a reality in my coaching sessions to help my players.”
UK FA Coach Danny Fenner: “It’s been a fantastic experience and the Omani coaches have been probably one of the best people that I’ve witnessed and been a part of as a group. I’ve coach developed thousands of coaches, but this is easily the best group that I’ve worked with. It’s been really great to be immersed in the Omani culture as well.”
UK FA Coach Amanda Greenslade: “What an amazing country that we’ve been invited to deliver this FA coaching course. The students have been absolutely fantastic, they’ve been so welcoming and they’ve been real credit to the country of Oman. We’ve been able to learn about how they coach and give them a few ideas about how we coach and develop our players. Hopefully in the future we can continue to do this and continue to connect with them so that the learning doesn’t stop.”
At the closing ceremony, Group Chairman Sheikh Ma'an Hamed Al Rawahi and British Ambassador to Oman Liane Saunders said a few words thanking all parties involved for making the collaboration possible and stressed its importance in strengthening the bond between the two countries..jpeg)
Sheikh Ma'an Hamed Al Rawahi, BOS New Generation Group Chairman said: “This initiative is a proud moment for Oman and a reflection of our commitment to fostering excellence in football. By collaborating with the English FA, we are not only enhancing the skills of our coaches but also strengthening the bond between our two nations. This is just the beginning of what I hope will be a long and fruitful partnership for the benefit of Omani football. Thank you to the Oman FA and the English FA for supporting this collaboration, as well as Oman LNG for being our main sponsor and OIG for facilitating the food and beverage.”
Liane Saunders, British Ambassador to Oman added: “It has been an important project, not only for the British Omani Society but also for us at the Embassy. This year, Britain and Oman are celebrating an important treaty that said that the friendship between Oman and Britain should endure until the end of time and that nothing would shake it up. When you look at sports, it’s a really good way of making that friendship last as long as it will do.”
The British Omani Society would like to thank Oman LNG for their generous sponsorship. A big thanks to both the Oman Football Association and the English Football Association and all the various players including Neil Coxon, Shuaib Al Rawahi and Sheikh Ma’an Hamad Al-Rawahi who made this pioneering project possible.
Below are some of the great photos taken during the course, including the closing lunch!
