At least 28 young Somali Football coaches have on Monday sat for a 12-day youth coaching course in Mogadishu as part of Somali Football Federation’s policy to create young coaches for future football development in the country.

A highly arranged ceremony to mark on the opening of the course was held at the centre of Somali Students’ Union which is partner with Somali Football Federation in terms of schools football competitions.

Somali Football Federation deputy secretary General Hassan Mohamed Mahmoud who first addressed at the opening ceremony said that his federation has been working to hold such course for the past three months.

 “Here we have 28 young coaches from different regions across the country—this is the first such course for youth coaches ever held in Somalia and we hope that more other local and international course will follow Mr. Hassan said.

The president of Somali Football Federation Mr. Said Mahmoud Nur for his part said that the year 2011 is the year of educational development for Somali Football Federation and that is why the courses are being held one after another.

“When this course ends there will be theory and practical examinations and those who pass in the examinations will have the chance to take part in international level coaching course in Djibouti next month” the Somali Football Federation president told the young coaches.

He aid that such courses will be held once in every six months in a bid to upgrade football progress in Somalia which has been experiencing one of the world’s most notorious civil wars for the past twenty years.

“The Somali Football family is very grateful to the world’s highest football governing body FIFA for its continued assistance to Somalia—With the constant assistance from FIFA we have succeeded to revive and develop Somali Football” the president noted.

“Although we have some coaches from regions here, we are intended to hold other coaching and refereeing courses in the regions so that football can reach every where in Somalia” the SFF said in his opening remarks before handing over the microphone to Somali NOC president.

The NOC president Aden Hajji Yeberow who addressed at the opening ceremony of the course noted that for the past several years the Somali Football stepped into a very tangible progress that was not approached even when Somalia was stabled just twenty years ago.

“On behalf of Somali NOC I am happy with the successive activities by the Somali Football Federation including the 2010-2011 first division soccr championship which ended in Mogadishu last week—Last year’s regional football tournament for peace and development is also very mentionable” the NOC president stated.

“Despite unrest and lawlessness in the country the recent senior football championship was a historic and attracted the biggest number of fans yet to be seen for the past two decades of civil wars—I was one of those who were present at the political science University stadium every day and I can confirm that a real job has been done in this very critical situation” Somali NOC president told the opening ceremony.

He said that since he was elected as Somali NOC president on 18^th of March 2009 the NOC and its federations of which football is the major succeeded to fully revive Somali Sport.

The 12-day long course is being conducted by CAF and national course instructor Awil Ismail Mohamed who is the most senior coaching instructor in Somalia currently.

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