A World Of Opportunity

Sirajul Islam, Qatar

Sirajul Islam is a football coach and Worker Advocate for Generation Amazing, originally from Bangladesh. As part of the GOALS program, Sirajul tells the story of growing up in Bangladesh, moving to Qatar as a construction laborer and scaffolder, before becoming a licensed football coach.

Growing up in Bangladesh, I had to walk one kilometer to watch the World Cup. My family had no TV, and our village Barisal did not even have electricity.

The 2002 World Cup was my earliest football memory. I was eight years old, and I remember seeing the Brazilian legend Ronaldo score two goals in the final. People just clapped, but I was inspired. We were very poor, but I dreamed one day I could be a footballer. I watched four World Cups in a row like this.

From Bangladesh to Doha, football has been a part of my life. I love the skill of football, the respect for each other, the teamwork, and the motivation. In 2013 I was playing in the Divisional Gold Cup tournament in Bangladesh, and in the Final I scored a goal to help my team win the tournament. I will never forget this.

Two years later in July 2015 I moved to Qatar as a construction laborer for QDVC Company. At that time my profession was as a scaffolder. My family stayed in Bangladesh.

The company had a field for workers to play. Every night after duty, I would play. The football field is special; so many players from different countries.

In 2016 I was introduced to the Generation Amazing programme; they had started working with my company. After the first session, I would come again and again to the field, and they would see me and my football skill.

Then Master Coach Michael Richardson offered for me to become a coach. I was excited to accept the offer, because it was a very big opportunity for me.

I had never coached before but Generation Amazing gave me a lot of training and sent me on a coaching course to receive an AFC D License.

Coach Michael is an amazing man. Honestly, I was very nervous on the first day he was my coach. It was hard to understand his accent at first, but I started to understand as I got to know him. He treated me as a friend.

Michael helped me become a coach. I learned from him how to be a good football coach and I learned the philosophy of football; respect, communication, helping each other, and how I can use this in my community.

I now coach a Bangladeshi team in Doha called Bangla Tigers, who play in the Bengali Community League. I have learned many things, and I am so proud when I teach my community team.

When I go back to Bangladesh, I am now able to coach my Divisional team. And when the Bangladeshi National team came to Qatar, I got to meet them!

In 2018, I had the incredible opportunity to go to the FIFA World Cup in Russia with Generation Amazing. The legend Xavi was part of our group. Out of 350 Generation Amazing Coaches in Qatar, eight were selected for this opportunity, and I was one of them.

I never imagined that I would get to watch a World Cup game, and I am pleased that my company allowed me ten days off to go to Russia!

As a group, we participated in various coaching activities and introduced people to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022. We delivered a football session for children with disabilities in Moscow.

I came to Qatar as a construction laborer, but the opportunity given to me by Qatar and my company to continue my football journey has become vital in my life.

They also gave me an opportunity to change my profession - now I am a warehouse associate at Sidra Hospital.

I was a football player in Bangladesh. Now I am Generation Amazing Worker Advocate and Coach with an AFC D License.

I am grateful to all those who made it possible.