Workshop brings Premier League football coaching skills to Jordanians, Syrian refugees

AZRAQ REFUGEE CAMP – Ghaliah Ghaffari had no clue about football, the world’s most popular game, before the outbreak of civil war in her home country of Syria.

Yet after she was forced to seek refuge in Jordan and settle in Zaatari Refugee Camp two years ago, her interest in the sport began to develop. 

“I spent the past two years learning football, because it is a new activity in my life. It gave me the opportunity to train for myself and give training to others. I now feel that I am responsible for girls in the camp,” she told The Jordan Times. 

Ghaffari had the chance to further hone her skills when she joined a group of 36 Jordanians and Syrians in a football coaching workshop conducted by three English coaches.

The workshop is organised and funded by the English Premier League in partnership with the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP) and World Vision Jordan in Azraq Refugee Camp, some 100km east of Amman and 20km west of the town of Azraq in Zarqa Governorate.

The course, which will wrap up on Thursday, is conducted by head coach Jeremy Weeks, supported by Laura Nicholls from the Wolverhampton Wanderers and Warren Leat representing Stoke City.  

The workshop is aimed at setting up a new football league for boys and girls living in the Azraq camp, according to an AFDP statement.

The camp is currently home to 27,701 refugees, according to the UNHCR’s latest figures.

Weeks, who delivers international football development programmes across the world as part of the Premier League’s Premier Skills initiative, said there is a lot of media attention in the UK around the plight of Syrian refugees, and it is a privilege for him to be able to bring positivity to the lives of refugees in Jordan through the game. 

“We will give them more skills [so] that they can deliver activities for young people here in the camp. It is really important for us because we believe that football can be a really powerful tool in engaging young people and bringing a certain normality to their lives, while providing the adults with skills and education,” he told The Jordan Times during the opening ceremony of the workshop.  

Nicholls said the workshop is a good opportunity for her to show girls that they can have equal opportunities in sports and to bring her experiences in the UK to Jordan.  

“Interest in football among girls is growing massively. Hopefully I can share... some of the experiences I have had with Syrian refugees and give them some skills they can... take with them back to their homes,” she added.  

Urs Zanitti, CEO of AFDP, said football is an important element in the lives of children. 

“They need to be active, they need to be playing, and with the Premier League coming here, we can give them high-class quality coaching skills, because these coaches are experienced,” he told The Jordan Times. 

The AFDP official said they decided to hold the event in Azraq camp because similar activities have taken place in Zaatari.

“But it is also about bringing in other coaches from outside the camp... for [the benefit of] Jordanian coaches, and our aim is to bring the refugees [closer to] the Jordanian community to do something together and learn something about each other,” Zanitti added.  

Musa Banna, a 35-year-old Syrian from Daraa, said the workshop was a good idea because both children and adults will benefit. 

“The pitches in the camp enable the children to express their positive energy and forget the difficult conditions they have suffered,” added Banna, who was a children’s coach in Qatar before the crisis began in Syria.  

Ghaffari promised to give her daughter her utmost support if she decides to play football.

“Though many people around me opposed my decision, I was determined to learn more about football. My dream is to become a skilled coach and teach more children.”