20 May 2026
Aspire Academy hosted and participated in a successful end-of-season meeting for strength and conditioning coaches, performance analysts, and nutritionists from 20 Qatari football clubs.
The gathering was addressed by Aspire Academy’s Director of Football Performance & Science, Professor Valter di Salvo and Ahmed Khellil Al Abbasi, the Executive Director of Competitions and Football Development at the Qatar Stars League (QSL).
More than 60 representatives from 12 QSL and 8 second-division clubs, and representatives of the Qatar Football Association (QFA) met to reflect on and analyse the recently concluded season and make plans for the next one.
Aspire Academy plays a key role in sharing insights, expertise, and data, including the groundbreaking Qatar Player App, to help enhance football at all levels in the country.
The mobile phone app, developed alongside the QFA and QSL, allows players to instantly access their match statistics, review personal achievements, and analyse their performance through video replays.
In addition to the app, Aspire Academy maintains regular contact with all stakeholders in Qatari football to ensure ongoing information exchange.
This co-operation has ensured another successful QSL season and Qatar qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026, as Ahmed Khellil Al Abbasi explained.
“It has been an outstanding season in terms of entertaining the supporters right up until the final few matches,” he said.
“We've seen great performances from all the clubs; any club could beat any club. That is not a surprise for me because of our attention to every detail.”
“One of those details this season was insisting that every club has analysts for performance, nutrition, and data. That has helped make our football better, more competitive, more balanced, and of the highest quality possible.”
However, he insists that stakeholders in Qatari football are not resting on their laurels and are already looking for ways for further improvements in the future.
“To go to the next level, we need to continue improving our professional culture,” he added.
“For example, raising awareness in terms of nutrition and recovery is top of our agenda.”
“We are excited to see what we can achieve working with our partners, including Aspire Academy, Aspetar, the Qatar Football Association and the QSL.”
Al Abbasi lauded Aspire Academy for their role in the ongoing development and improvement of football in Qatar.
“Aspire Academy has an enormous impact on the growth of our football and our national teams, not only in developing talent to an elite level, but also in the development of top-class coaches too,” he said.
“The Academy also supports us a lot as we change the culture of data analysis, awareness and supporting how our football can be better all around, and that 360-degree view is so important as we strive to go to the next level.”
Professor Di Salvo echoed those sentiments and thanked all involved for their cooperation, and urged everyone to continue working together for Qatar.
He added that one of the goals for the coming months is to help players and coaching teams understand their data so they can learn to compete against themselves as they strive to improve.
“Next season, we plan to highlight and look to enhance what we call ‘invisible training’; that means those other moments when the players are not involved on the pitch or training ground,” he added.
“We want to help players better manage their free time with nutrition ideas and advice on improving the quality of their rest and sleep; this kind of support can drastically improve performance levels.”
To implement these insights, we will utilise technology and education, and use systems that can collect information on sleep quality, nutritional intake, and the use of relevant supplements.
“But just as important will be a more direct approach using our expertise to talk directly to players and coaching staff so that all this knowledge is used properly and regularly.”
The meeting also featured specialist sessions for nutritionists and strength and conditioning coaches, including a demonstration of Aspire Academy’s new e-gym product, Blind/Off, which it has been developing.
The interactive technology that delivers instant feedback and analysis for individual or group training is now being adapted for mobile use to help athletes enhance performance wherever they are.