Palestine receives coaching boost

The Football Association lent a helping hand to the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) when it delivered an Advanced Coaching Workshop in Ramallah on the West Bank in March.

The FA’s Regional Coach Development Manager Dennis Mortimer and coach John Ryan ran the course, which was aimed at preparing Palestinian coaches with no formal awards to successfully obtain coaching licence qualifications in the future.

All 25 participants, including five female coaches, completed the six-day workshop and received certificates at the closing ceremony which was attended by the Palestinian Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, and PFA president Jibril Rajboub.

FA Vice Chairman Barry Bright was also in attendance and was impressed by the commitment of the local coaches and The FA staff.

He said: “Both Dennis and John had been well received and built up excellent rapport and respect whilst delivering the course.

“There was a real enthusiasm by the local Palestinian coaches and you could see that they were very proud to receive their certificates of attendance at the end of the course.”

The request for assistance came from the Palestinian FA President, Jibril Rajboub, who is looking to create the right football structure in Palestine as interest in the game, both men’s and women’s football, continues to rise."

The PFA has received support from FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation, whose President Mohammed bin Hammam welcomed The FA’s support in helping develop football in Palestine.