12 Jun 2024
As part of its ongoing commitment to developing football worldwide, Aspire in the World Fellows, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, has launched a new initiative: The Workshop Tour, with Argentina as the first stop.
The Workshop took place in La Plata in collaboration with the city’s Argentine Primera Division club, Estudiantes de la Plata.
The two-day conference, held in Estudiantes’ Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi, attracted more than 1,100 guests who work with football clubs at various levels from around Argentina.
There were also attendees from further afield, including Chile, Uruguay and Ecuador.
The Workshop, which involves some of the Aspire Fellows, aims to share knowledge with coaches and technical staff in different countries around the world.
The programme also involves activities with youngsters from the local communities, giving them the unique opportunity to have practical sessions with top coaches from the Aspire Fellows.
The Workshop in La Plata was followed by an event in which more than 350 young boys and girls from clubs in the area played mini-games with coaches from Aspire and the Fellows watching on.
One of those who attended the Workshop was Agustín, who works in the scouting department at the Argentine club San Lorenzo de Almagro, and he was thrilled with the event.
“The reality is that we don't have events of quality on a regular basis, and I think it can encourage all the clubs in the country to keep investing in training, to keep growing as clubs, and to keep growing as professionals,” he said.
“I want to thank Aspire Academy for organising such an event and for the opportunity to meet new colleagues, to learn about new methodologies, to meet new types of professionals.”
Another attendee travelled over 700 kilometres from Cordoba, where he works for Club Atlético Talleres, to take part in the Workshop.
“This event met my expectations. I was aware of what Aspire Academy does, and the truth is that it was a great pleasure to participate,” he explained.
“I am taking some great knowledge, new friends, new connections. All the content you generate is very good, bringing together great speakers.”
The Workshop featured Star Chats and theoretical and practical sessions presented by members of Aspire and the World Fellows, including FC Barcelona, Villareal CF, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and FC Inter Milan.
Aspire Academy’s Director of Football Performance and Science, Prof Valter Di Salvo, opened the gathering alongside Juan Sebastian Veron, a former Argentine star and the President of Estudiantes de La Plata.
Veron, who began and finished his career with Estudiantes, then took to the stage on the pitch and was joined by his former Argentine team-mate Roberto Sensini for the first Star Chat.
The legends captivated those in the stands with their insights into football as they shared their experiences and expertise from their glittering careers.
This was followed by several theoretical presentations on topics such as injury prevention, nutrition, psychology, training methodology, and team management.
The practical sessions were based on technical drills and performed by Estudiantes de La Plata and River Plate players. They used the latest GPS tracking technology from Fitogether, the main sponsors of the event and partner of Aspire Academy. Jinsung Yoon, the company's CEO, presented the data collected from the GPS during the training session.
There were further practical sessions on the second day before the event concluded with a Star Chat with former Argentina basketball international Sergio Hernandez, who also spent time as the coach of the national basketball team.
The next stop on The Workshop Tour is going to be in Africa.