05 May 2020
Doha, 5 May 2020. Under the title “Aspire Fellows Web Gathering”, Aspire Academy hosted an online presentation on “Crisis and Uncertainty” on May 4, that virtually gathered 93 people of 50 elite football clubs and federations from all over the world.
The event was part of the “Aspire in the World Fellows” programme, that was launched by Aspire Academy in 2014 and aims to embrace, gather and lead the best practitioners in football performance to create a platform to gather and synergize the know-how of worldwide expertise. The aim is to offer recommendations for the management and training methodology of youth football players in order to enhance their psycho-physical performance.
“We thought that it was a good opportunity to connect with each other during this challenging time and the worldwide lockdown. And the fact that so many people participated was truly amazing”, said Valter Di Salvo, Director of Football Performance & Science at Aspire Academy and Executive Director of “Aspire in the World Fellows”.
He stressed that despite the title, the presentation of Maria Ruiz, Head of Football Neurophysiologist at Aspire Academy, did not specifically address the impact of COVID-19. “Because in football there are many things that can lead to a crisis or to uncertainty and it’s very important to be prepared for these challenges and to know how to manage them successfully.”
Furthermore, Valter Di Salvo used the opportunity to give the participants, representing clubs like FC Barcelona (Spain), AC Milan (Italy), Ajax (Netherlands), AS Monaco (France), Manchester United (England) or LA Galaxy (USA), an update on the upcoming “Aspire Academy Global Summit” and the progress of the scientific research project the clubs have been working on.
Since 2014, the representatives of this community have been exchanging their knowledge and experiences through their online platform and gatherings such as the annual summits on “Football Performance and Science” that has involved leading managers, coaches and players such as Johan Cruyff, Roberto Mancini, Arrigo Sacchi, Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, Marcelo Bielsa, Frank Rijkaard, Clarence Seedorf, Patrick Kluivert , Xavi Hernandez, and Andre Villas-Boas.
Find out more about "Aspire in the World Fellows" on https://fellows.aspire.qa