From Construction To Coach

Collins Nil Nortey, Qatar

I am Collins Nil Nortey from Ghana. I have lived in Qatar for five years. I am working as a security guard with a construction company. I moved to Qatar in search of work to better my life and that of my family. It was my dream and passion to become a football player because football is fun, exciting, uniting and it pays well, but this dream never became a reality. I played football at youth level with a local club called Rangers back in Ghana. My dream was chopped off due to some unpleasant circumstances. I joined Generation Amazing in 2016. I have delivered coaching modules for workers in many locations. I have seen that the love for football keeps growing.

Who is in the photos? Where were the photos taken?

My photos show workers in different places playing football and some kids with the football. A pitch in an industrial area where Nepalese people gather to play football - irrespective of the nature of the pitch and without consideration of the weather or the rocky grounds they play on. In an industrial area (Street 11) where construction and reconstruction engineering company workers decided to enjoy the game in a small space without proper goalposts. And lastly Cambridge School, where people play on that smooth pitch. There were spectators on the field who got on the pitch after the first half of a game during a Toyota company tournament between the various branches.

What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?

Irrespective of the weather or the nature of the pitch, people love to play football. Workers get to play Football on Thursday and Fridays. Is so important because it brings different nationals together, and again it helps the body by getting rid of unwanted fats in the body.

What role does football play in Qatari society?

Football plays a small role in Qatar, because it is not easily accessible. Despite all the difficulties, the masses are developing interest in the game and playing football on rocky grounds and horrible pitches. The game is being enjoyed in the immense hot and cold weather conditions in Qatar.

Why is football so important for your community?

Football means everything to me. Football unites the foreign nationals and it has great interest among the Qatari nationals.

What will be the biggest impact of the World Cup in 2022?

The impact of The World Cup will be broad. The volunteers program will train people on issues related to crowd management and ticketing among others. The future of Qatari football is great.

Qatar

After years of debate around the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup, we still do not hear enough directly from people living in Qatar.  Goal Click Qatar was a year-long storytelling series in partnership with Qatar 2022, telling the inside story of Qatari football culture - through the eyes and words of people living in the next World Cup host nation.

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The Qatar Community Football League