Werder instructors Björn Schierenbeck and Ingo Goetze travelled to Uganda for the third time along with colleagues from Bayer 04 Leverkusen from 8-12 December as part of the Football Club Social Alliance. The goal was to train...
Werder instructors Björn Schierenbeck and Ingo Goetze travelled to Uganda for the third time along with colleagues from Bayer 04 Leverkusen from 8-12 December as part of the Football Club Social Alliance. The goal was to train...
Werder instructors Björn Schierenbeck and Ingo Goetze travelled to Uganda for the third time along with colleagues from Bayer 04 Leverkusen from 8-12 December as part of the Football Club Social Alliance. The goal was to train young men and women to be football coaches and role models for children in difficult living conditions. The instructors once again returned home with unforgettable memories of moving moments during the training of highly motivated Young Coaches.
They waved, cheered and clapped while running next to the mini-buses which arrived to the bumpy and dusty roads of Gulu carrying the Werder instructors as well as their colleagues from Leverkusen and Scort. The 30 year men and women from Uganda who were being trained as children football coaches - or Young Coaches as they are called - wildly welcomed the European coaches. The coaches' excitement about the third training module and the 3.5 days of intensive instruction was evident.
The training took place this time in Gulu in northern Uganda. The region has been shaken by more than 20 years of armed conflicts, which is a reason parts of the country's people avoid the area. "We were expecting a rural or perhaps dangerous place with little infrastructure. But it was great there. The people in Gulu are very warm-hearted, friendly and open," said Goetze, who believes the viewpoints of the Young Coaches changed through the training in Gulu. "We clearly left a mark."
A big challenge for the Young Coaches was organising a football tournament for 6 to 12 year old children from Gulu in the Pece Stadium. Goetze, however, was satisfied with the coaches' performance. "Regarding the implementation, the Young Coaches once again took a big step. What lacked a bit was time management. But the Young Coaches put together this kind of tournament for the first time in this form. They also had 100 children on the pitch. They did an honourable job with the organisation," said Goetze.
Schierenbeck was also satisfied with the success of the third training module. "A special highlight was how good the Young Coaches felt in their role as child football coaches and how they developed so much confidence. The group really grew closer together even though they come from different parts of the country. That is very positive because there are prejudices about some segments of the population," said Schierenbeck.
The last training module of the Football Club Social Alliance will take place in May 2013 when instructors from Werder and Leverkusen will once again travel together to Uganda.
