FCSA - Return to Lebanon

Lebanon is home to large numbers of refugees from Palestine and, since the outbreak of the civil wars in Syria and Iraq, they have been joined by another one million people. In relation to the total population of Lebanon (4.5 million) the country has the largest number of refugees per head. That presents the small country with a large problem: It is struggling with the massive challenge of looking after the refugees and poor Lebanese families and, at the same time, ensuring safe and secure living conditions in the guest communities.
The FCSA has therefore set itself the target of training socially committed Lebanese and refugees to teach them to convey core values and abilities to children through football to ensure a peaceful environment. The second module of these children's football coach training courses was held at the end of November in the Lebanese capital Beirut under the guidance of coaches from Bayer 04 and other clubs.
Peter Quast was the coach from Bayer 04. "The situation of the people in Lebanon is really difficult. They are clutching at straws and we are happy to be able make a valuable contribution in this country. The Young Coaches, our participants, absorb everything that we teach and show them. They are keen to learn and can already do a lot on their own. It's great to see both men and women showing passion in their work with children."
 

The 30 Young Coaches are enthusiastic about the course and the skills they've learned. "Before the course, I had a vague idea of how to run training sessions" explained Young Coach Quaitba, an Iraqi refugee. "Now I've learned how children can learn and have fun at the same time. Now, I can adapt drills according to every situation, age or level. I feel much better." Young Coach Minas, a refugee from Syria, added: "At the start, a lot of children left my training sessions early. The youngsters didn't want to join in. Then the coaches taught me how to improve the way I adapted my drills to the kids' level and enthuse them – now they are focused and the youngsters look forward to the next session."
The training project is carried out in cooperation with Scort, the UN refugee relief organisation (UNHCR), AFC Dream Asia Foundation of the Asian Football Confederation and the Lebanese Football Association. This is the third project for Bayer 04 with the FCSA, which is directly involved in dealing with the difficult situation facing refugees worldwide and helping young people to develop new perspectives through coaching. Meinolf Sprink, fan and community affairs director at Bayer 04, who visited the project declared: "Football is an important in giving people in desperate situations some pleasure and dignity. The task of the coaches in providing the skills in these modules for working with refugees is extremely challenging but worth all the effort. These experiences provide a grounding for all the visitors and you leave the country with many impressions and emotions. And we know we're making a small but significant contribution in helping to overcome a humanitarian crisis."