New female coach to teach UAE girls techniques of Giggs, Nani and Valencia
Manchester United Soccer Schools (MUSS) in Abu Dhabi is launching the UAE’s first girls-only football coaching programme which will run alongside the new ten-week course starting on Saturday 7th January 2012.
‘Learn to Dribble and Dominate the United Way’ will teach girls the skills perfected by wingers Nani and Antonio Valencia, and midfielder Ryan Giggs in the one of a kind indoor setting at the Dome@Rawdhat on Airport Road and will take place under the coaching supervision of Stela Samuela.
A UAE resident for more than eight years, Samuela is a physical education teacher with GEMS American Academy in Khalifa City and has just qualified as an MUSS certified coach.
The MUSS programmes have been popular with both boys and girls, but the coaches believe the new girls-only sessions will open the beautiful game up to even more football enthusiasts.
“The number of girls taking part in our courses has continued to grow since we launched in October 2010,” said Andy Dixon, head coach at MUSS. “This is a sign of the increasing popularity of the sport amongst females within Abu Dhabi and by offering these courses we hope to attract a lot more girls into our programme, providing them with the opportunity to get actively involved in the game.”
While the regular mixed programme is open to boys and girls aged seven to 16, the girls-only session will cater to ages 10 to 13 on Mondays at 4.30pm and for 14 to 16 year olds on Saturdays at 4.30pm.
The latest module will also see more emphasis placed on the importance of healthy nutrition. Children will be taught in the classroom about how to adopt a balanced, healthy diet, why they should cut down on fizzy drinks and junk food and how to introduce fruit, vegetables and water into their daily routines, especially before training.
“Feedback and response from parents and children throughout Module One has been fantastic – we find that teaching the children about nutrition off the pitch generates much better results,” added Dixon.
Registration is now open for the January programme which features 12.5 hours of on-field coaching by certified MUSS coaches.
The cost of AED 1,650 includes an exclusive Nike Manchester United training kit of shirt, shorts and socks, MUSS drawstring bag, water bottle and skills ball. Youngsters benefit from catch-up sessions and individual player evaluation, and the bonus for footballing parents is that they get a coaching session all of their own.
All players enrolled in the programme in Abu Dhabi will also take part in the MUSS series of skills challenges with the top two point scorers receiving an all expenses paid trip to Manchester to represent Abu Dhabi in the World Skills Final at Manchester United’s Carrington training ground as well as the world famous Old Trafford stadium in 2012.
Abu Dhabi based developer Reem Investments, which signed a partnership agreement with MUSS, built the Dome@Rawdhat to create a vibrant sporting community in the area. More than 12,000 people use the facilities every month.
To learn more about the MUSS programme visit www.manutdsoccerschools.ae or call 02 449 8480.
