TWO of Liverpool FC’s community coaches have spent 10 days in Qatar coaching young adults from war-torn and impoverished countries.
Forbes Duff and Steve Hollis made the trip to Doha as part of a new partnership with the United Nations. The 30 participants run grassroots sports initiatives in either Africa or Palestine and the idea is they will take their new found skills back home.
Hollis said: “It’s been a fantastic experience for everybody concerned. Hopefully there’ll be a legacy from it. Five of the 30 will be picked to come and see the work we do back home in Liverpool - and they’ll take great experience from that and take it back to their own communities.
“Every day we’ve been putting them through similar sessions to those we run back home and trying to give them a feel for Liverpool Football Club.”
Duff added: “We do a lot of things around the world but it’s a great opportunity for the club to pair up with partners like the UN and Aspire. We were very fortunate to be invited. They’re giving young people the opportunity to participate in sport.
“The participants have been very receptive, they’ve asked questions, they want to learn and they want to know about Liverpool Football Club. Many have said they’re now Liverpool supporters and they’ll take that back to their countries and communities.
“Hopefully we’ve given them some knowledge, education and ideas that they can take home and make the work they’re doing in voluntary organisations even better.
“We were lucky to be given this opportunity by the UN.”
