05 Mar 2018
Doha, 5 March 2018. Aspire Academy and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) have signed an unprecedented agreement, dubbed the OFC Performance License, entering into a partnership focused on elite performance and youth development among footballers in Oceania.
The OFC Performance License will provide the OFC with insights about planning, training, testing and monitoring best practices across a range of sport science areas, including strength, conditioning and biomechanics. Ultimately, the OFC Performance License will leave coaches better equipped to enhance the physical and mental aspects of football players competing at international level.
With the OFC fortunate to have New Zealand competing in the men’s 2019 FIFA U-17 and the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cups, the OFC Performance License will offer Oceania’s elite youth players scholarships to Aspire Academy, where they will benefit from world-class training, coaching, youth development, performance analysis and sport science facilities.
Aspire Academy’s Director General, Ivan Bravo, remarked that this partnership will cement Qatar’s global position at the forefront of football development and benefit both parties greatly: “Mr. David Chung, the OFC President, has an ambitious vision for the development of football in the OFC, which will require consistent improvement to the coaching standards. We are honoured to offer our experts, methodologies, programmes and facilities to assist in realising this vision. The OFC is the first of the FIFA Confederations to offer such a license, making this a very important development for us and the Member Associations in Oceania.”
David Chung added: “Aspire Academy benefits from a body of staff with a vast knowledge of sports science and high performance. We are delighted that the Academy is willing to share their expertise to benefit players, coaches and teams throughout Oceania and to enhance our knowledge and understanding of football development. Teams will be exposed to cutting-edge facilities, a professional environment and conditions that assist them in achieving even greater things on the world stage.”
He concluded: “With OFC Education Centres opening across Oceania and the new opportunities for OFC Instructors to improve their knowledge through this partnership, we are excited about what the future holds for our players and coaches.”