Interview with the Founders of Pro Football Academy Husain Almajed & Essa Buhamood

Can you tell us more about the Pro Football Academy and what inspired you to start it?

Pro Football Academy (PFA) is a local football academy located at the Champions Football Center in Salmabad which provides junior footballers with a platform to learn the footballing foundations and master the technique in order to become world class football professionals. PFA creates a fun and unique environment in which home-grown players can fully hone themselves while also establishing an emotional bond between the young players and coaches with fond memories. Our passion was the driving force behind starting PFA. We wanted to promote our love for the game in the community and help junior players reach their maximum potential. Moreover, children nowadays are more invested into video games rather than physical
activity, which has increased obesity within the region. Therefore, PFA is a way to spread our passion to these junior players and help improve their physical condition and health.

What is your 5-year goal for the Pro Football Academy?

We would like to expand our operations to different parts of the Kingdom of Bahrain and increase the number of days when PFA operates. PFA aims to turn talented young footballers into world class footballers that will eventually play for Bahrain`s national team. We believe that with the guidance of our coaching team and the natural talent of these footballers–there is every chance of reaching their full potential with this project. We are also aiming to conduct yearly summer camps in different professional football clubs around the world, as such camps will
help junior players experience the dayto-day lives of professional players and will positively affect their self-confidence, team work, self-discipline, motivation and independence. Moreover, participating in international tournaments like the Gulf Open Cup in the near future is part of our vision to help with the players` development.

Do you think that sports education can help the youth of Bahrain? How?

Sports education can help the youth in several aspects, as the benefits of sports reach beyond the impact of physical well-being and the value of the educational benefits of sport should
not be under-estimated. Participating in sports improves children’s educational attainment and skills development including empowerment, leadership and self-esteem – contributing to their overall well-being and future prospects. Sports education can also help the youth learn about the importance of key values such as honesty, teamwork, fair play, adherence to rules and respect for themselves and others. Similarly, junior players will learn to deal with competition and cope with both winning and losing. Furthermore, sports education can encourage life-long
participation in physical activity.

Globally, what can the impact of sports academies like the Pro Football Academy be to youth and unemployed people?

Sports academies all over the world could play an essential part within the community for both the youth and unemployed people. Such academies do not only involve football coaches, but also accountants, marketing, sales and etc. Consequently, it provides the unemployed with employment opportunities that can create a new career path and potentially change their lives. Moreover, academies like PFA provide youth with the foundations and the technique of a particular sports. Such academies help the youth improve their talents and maximize their potential while encouraging life-long participation in physical activity, which could have been utilized in other negative/ dangerous activities.

What are your tips for aspiring sports entrepreneurs?

Starting a business always involves risks and success comes with hard work. Therefore, challenge yourself to reach your goal, be patient and believe in yourself. You should always have your vision as the primary motivation for success and do something that makes you happy and proud.