November 01, 2023

Doha’s Starting Eleven - 11 Football Training Schools for Kids

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A whole host of football schools and academies have emerged across Doha in the last two decades. The burgeoning popularity of these establishments is, in part, due to Qatar’s role as host of the FIFA 2022 World Cup.

Qatar’s love of football has been steadily growing since it was first introduced in the early 1950s, but alongside hosting one of the world’s greatest sporting events, the country has become gripped by football fever. Kids especially have been caught up in the excitement and are keen to pick up a ball and join the game, with dreams of becoming football’s next big thing swirling around their heads. In response, many sports and football clubs, schools, academies and training centres have sprung up to offer kids from all social and cultural backgrounds and abilities somewhere to have a kick about, socialise and improve their game, and, for some, a chance to live their dreams.

What Do Football Schools and Academies Offer?

Each of Doha’s football schools and academies offers a plethora of classes and programmes for various ages and abilities. Tailored activities are designed to improve football skills and help kids evolve into well-rounded individuals - confident, respectful, hard-working team players.

Most establishments also offer specific courses based on progressing particular skills, i.e. goalkeeping. Many offer girls-only programmes, summer and winter camps, and extracurricular activities. And some provide pro-development programmes for talented players as a pathway to professional football.

The majority of the academies also have teams that participate in either the Qatar Community Football League or the Qatar Foundation Junior Football League - offering kids the opportunity to experience competitive matches, tournaments and competitions.

Coaches at each academy are generally UEFA, FA or AFC qualified and deliver sessions and courses to achieve specific outcomes for player development. All staff are trained in the management of young people.

Training is generally held on weekday afternoons and weekends.

So, which schools and academies offer what, when and where?

Football Training Schools in Doha

We have picked eleven of our favourite sports academies offering football training in Doha and discuss each establishment's offerings below, with the top five first followed by the others in no particular order:

Top Five Academies

Evolution Sports Qatar

Image: evosportsqatar.com/

Winner of the GHP Best Multisports Youth Coaching Award in 2021, Evolution Sports is Qatar's largest and longest-standing multisports coaching provider. The academy operates out of multiple locations - Park House School, Abu Hamour, SEK International School, West Bay and Doha College, Al Wajba. The new Al Wajba campus facilities provide access to state-of-the-art facilities, including two 4G football pitches.

The football academy offers girls and boys from 2 years upwards numerous programmes, events and opportunities designed to develop a multitude of physical, technical and tactical skills, as well as a wealth of social skills and life skills. Players and parents are provided with online progress reports to measure performance and growth. Kids are encouraged to gain experience in competitive matches through competitions, tournaments and leagues - numerous of which are organised by Evo Sports (Qatar Community League, Qatar Junior Stars League).

The Evo Sports group is one of the leading lights in Qatar's youth sports development. They have to date, teamed up with the 2022 World Cup's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the Qatar Olympic Committee, the Qatar Football Association, the Qatar Stars League and Aspire Sports Academy to organise, deliver and support the progress of the game in Qatar.

Established: 2007

Age Range: 2 - 18 years

Programmes:

General:

Little Ballers Programme U2 - U5 (mixed)

Soccer School Programme U6 - U18

Girls Only Programme U6 - U16

Skills Specific:

Goalkeeper Development Programme

Pro-Development:

Train Like A Pro Clinic - one-off sessions to develop individual players’ core skills. Sessions delivered are taught in a more challenging environment to replicate the professional club experience.

The Academy - supporting the development of talented young players into elite footballers.

Extra-Curricular:

Pro Clinics and holiday camps are offered during school breaks.

Timings and Costs: Training schedules and prices are dependent on the soccer school location, age range and programme. In general, 2-3 one hour sessions are held on weekdays, starting from 4 pm onwards, and at weekends, starting from 8 am onwards, for each programme.

Coaches: Coaches are all UEFA licensed.

Contact Details:

Tel: +974 4407 6722

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.evosportsqatar.com

Social Media: @EvoSportsQatar

ICON Football Academy

Image: iconfbacademy.com/

ICON Football Academy is relatively new to Doha but offers Qatar Football Association approved training programmes run by FA qualified coaches at the Middle East International School in Abu Hamour.

The academy's overarching philosophy is to ensure that their training, provided in a realistic game environment, should be educational and challenging and add value to each player by improving their confidence and technical and tactical skills. The coaching team also focuses on building attributes such as humility, effort, ambition, respect and teamwork. ICON hopes to develop footballers and life-long leaders through dynamic and engaging lessons.

Training sessions for boys and girls from ages 4 to 15 are provided across eleven year groups, seven days per week, by experienced coaches. Each group has up to three sessions per week over a single term. Training is designed to progress development through the years, from fun-based learning for very young members to technical and tactical structures as kids develop physically and mentally.

Established: 2021

Age Range: 4-15 years

Programmes:

Age 4-6: Early ball skills, sociability, teamwork and fun

Age 7-8, 9-10: Structured learning centred around positioning

Age 11-12: Structured learning centred around possession

Age 13-14: Structured learning centred around passing

Girls Only

Timings and Costs:

Training schedules are dependent on the age range and programme. In general, 3 one hour sessions are provided per week for each programme, except girls-only sessions, which runs twice per week. Training is held on weekdays, starting from 4 pm onwards, and at weekends, from 9 am onwards. Costs are charged per term.

Coaches:

Coaches are all experienced and FA qualified.

Contact Details:

Tel: +974 5082 7441

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.iconfbacademy.com

Social Media: @iconfootballacademydoha

Little Kickers Qatar

Image: facebook.com/littlekickersqatar/

Little Kickers Qatar is a UK based football programme with training sessions based on the British Early Years Foundation System (EYFS). Operating out of the Arab International School in Al Sadd, the programme is Qatar’s only specific pre-school football academy. Nonetheless, the Little Kickers organisation is one of the world’s biggest pre-school football academies with over 300 franchises in thirty-two countries.

The programme on offer focuses on the fundamentals of football, building on the foundations and basics of ball manipulation and mastery to the understanding and practical application of the rules of play. However, equally important, the courses are designed to build on the physical learning of preschoolers (hand-eye coordination, agility, balance, coordination, etc.) to cognitive, social and educational skills (decision making, listening skills, cooperation and collaboration, conflict resolution, confidence building, numeracy, etc.).

Training is tailored for each age group and becomes progressively more challenging as the children’s skills and abilities take shape.

Age Range: 18 months - 8 years

Programmes:

Mighty Kickers: 3½ - 5 years

Mega Kickers: 5 - 8 years

Extra-Curricular:

Summer camps are offered during the school holidays.

Timings and Costs:

Little Kickers runs weekend training sessions only, every Saturday from 4 pm. Costs are paid monthly with a one-time registration fee, which includes a uniform.

Contact Details:

Tel: +974 3133 2440

Email: [email protected]

Social Media: @littlekickersqatar

Lusail Football Academy

Image: Facebook.com/LusailFA/

Lusail Football Academy is one of the most popular in Doha. Located at Doha Sports Park and Lusail Sports Club’s Al Egla grounds, the academy has exceptional facilities to accommodate girls and boys from three upwards and into the senior and pro teams.

The academy’s coaching ethos is based on individual player development in an age-appropriate format. Age-specific programmes progress players through football development - from social and physical aspects to technical and tactical skills and knowledge. Club sessions are planned and delivered to ensure predetermined pathways to specific short term, and long term developmental goals are achieved. Players are assessed, and reports are provided to parents regularly.

As older kids progress into the U23 adult development programme, there is an opportunity for talented individuals to represent the academy’s pro team, Lusial FC.

Established: 2017

Age Range: 3-16 years

Programmes:

General:

Tiny Timmy Development Programme U4 - U6 (mixed)

Foundation Development U7 - U9

Youth Development Programme U10 - U16

Adult Development Programme U23

Girls Only Programme U7 - U16

Skills Specific:

Goalkeeper Development

Pro-Development:

Pro 1 on 1 Development

Extra-Curricular:

Summer and winter camps are offered during the school holidays.

Timings and Costs: Training sessions are held during the week and on Saturdays from 4 pm onwards. Generally, sessions are held for each programme three times per week and last for an hour, though adult sessions are 90 minutes. Costs vary depending on age range, term dates, and term length.

Coaches: Coaches are all UEFA and AFC qualified. All academy activities and proceedings are overseen by head coach and former Irish professional goalkeeper Ciaran Kelly.

Contact Details:

Tel: +974 3067 7463

Web: www.lfa.qa

Social Media: @lusail_fa

Paris Saint-Germain Academy Qatar

Image: psgacademy.qa/

In 2019, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) opened a branch of its world-renowned football academies in Qatar. With over 70 branches worldwide, Qatar joined a global network of football training schools. The Qatar academy operates out of Al Duhail, Al Khor, Al Saad, Al Waab, Al Wakrah, Barwa City and Education City.

Teaching girls and boys from 5 to 18 years of age, the academy’s courses are designed to identify and develop football talents. Training programmes are based on developing players’ strength and improving technique and tactical awareness, theoretical knowledge and personal qualities.

Kids have the opportunity to play in world-class training facilities, taught by PSG trained and certified coaches delivering a unique PSG training methodology. Talented players also have the chance to play at the PSG World Cup - a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Established: 2019

Age Range: 5 to 18 years

Programmes:

General:

U6, U8, U10, U12, U14, U17

Girls Only

Women Only

Skills Specific:

Goalkeeper Development Programme U10

Extra Curricular: Summer camps are available during school holidays.

Timings and Costs: Training schedules and costs are dependent on the age range, programme and the soccer school location . In general, weekdays sessions start from 4 pm onwards. Weekend sessions (Saturday only) start from 9 am onwards.

Main Image: nooncpk/Shutterstock.com

Multisport training academy, SFQ, offers football tuition to children aged 3 to 14 years. Operating out of several locations (The Gulf English School, Al Gharafa and Al Jazi Garden, West Bay), training sessions are mainly held on weekdays from 3:30 pm onwards. The academy also offers winter, summer and half-term camps during the school holidays.

Contact Details:

Tel: +974 6622 2962

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.sfqsportsacademy.com.qa

Social Media: @SFQSports

#fun

#activities

#kids training

#sports

#football

Published: June 24, 2022

Last updated: November 01, 2023