Aspire in the World Fellows Book - 2022

11 10 Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, It was a great pleasure to be able to host our annual Aspire Academy Global Summit in person once again in 2022, after our previous two virtual summits. Following two years of restrictions due to the global coronavirus pandemic it was exciting to be able to welcome our delegates from around the world to Doha again for the 8th edition of the Global Summit on Football Performance and Science. The 2022 edition was an extra-special one as it took place just weeks before Qatar hosted the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and was held in collaboration with FIFA. I am grateful to FIFA for helping us gather so many experts under one roof to share our knowledge during the summit. We had the privilege of welcoming representatives from all 32 nations who played at the World Cup to join the members of Aspire in the World Fellows. Thanks to the collaboration with football’s world governing body, we were able to open the two-day event with a Master Class from FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development and ex-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. His presentation highlighted the importance of football intelligence and analysing data to improve the game. The first day also featured a ‘Star Chat’ with ex-Argentina and Manchester United midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron. In the evening our Gala Dinner was opened by the FIFA President Gianni Infantino and our guests were then treated to an enthralling ‘Star Chat’ with former England captain David Beckham. The highlights of our second day included further ‘Star Chats’ with two-time Women’s World Cup winning coach Jill Ellis and France’s 1998 World Cup-winner Youri Djorkaeff. Over the two days as well as hearing from our celebrity speakers there were round table discussions and workshops, involving moderators and speakers from around the globe. As well as our special guests and the discussions, Aspire Academy was thrilled to showcase Qatari hospitality, which was on show to the world during the successful hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Hosting this event in Doha gave the delegates an insight of what Aspire Academy does on a daily basis, what we had planned for the World Cup and offered a preview of what our nation displayed to the world during the four-week tournament. The summit allowed everyone present to make new contacts and reacquaint ourselves with old ones and as always, I am positive that our discussions helped football around the world develop and improve. Ali Salem Afifa Chairman Aspire Academy Global Summit Chairman Welcome Message