The Master Coach
Hamad Abdullah Abdulaziz, Qatar
My name is Hamad Abdullah Abdulaziz. I'm a Master Coach at the Generation Amazing programme. My family loves football and I began playing football just like any other Qatari who loves football. I played with one of the Qatari football clubs when I was young. I played until I was a young man, but then I had to travel to study for my bachelors and masters. When I returned from my studies, I still wanted to work in football, so I worked as a coach. I had a passion for both football and photography.
Generation Amazing is a sports education programme which uses the power of football and its popularity around the world and the region to change children's behaviours through football. We try to focus on life skills, group work, effective leadership and effective communication. Right now, we are working in schools. At the same time, we focus on football players who play for clubs.
When I was travelling, I used to take shots of different beautiful landscapes. I wanted to develop my skills as a photographer and use it alongside my passion for football by doing sports photography. I found out that the Supreme Committee had a programme on sports photography. Out of 200 applicants, they chose 50 to participate, and I was one of them.
What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?
I wanted to show Qatari culture and how football is a huge part of it. I wanted to show the popularity of the game here and how it’s played across the country. Some kids play in their traditional thobe and without shoes. They play on the beach, on sand and around the neighbourhood. Most of our fathers and grandfathers used to play in sandy areas and they didn't have the right shoes for it. Yet, they still played because they were passionate. When I was a kid, we used to place rocks to act as goalposts. This shows the world that football is the most popular sport in Qatar. Everyone can play it. Today, it’s very different. Thanks to the leadership in this country, there are dedicated areas all over Qatar to play football.
A beautiful thing about Qataris and people who live in Qatar is that when we play football, we play where we can with what we have. It's not an expense. Even if we don't have our shoes or kits, we will play barefoot in our traditional thobe. As you can see, the young men are taking penalty shots without their shoes on. It shows that they're playing in the utmost of comfort and with passion.
What is your favourite photo? Why?
It shows that football unites able-bodied people with people with disabilities. In this photo, both kids are playing football, they are both competing to get to the ball, united in the game. You can't tell, but one of the kids playing has a disability. Yet the players' excitement and competitiveness are matched. It really shows you that football is for everyone and is loved by everyone. There're both confident, they're both enjoying their time.
Are there any good stories connected with the people or teams you photographed?
A group of students celebrating right after they scored in a school match. This was their winning goal. The moment the players scored the goal, they were celebrating together. During the match, both teams were scoring. When the white team were scoring, only the player who scored would celebrate. It was the same with the other team. When the scores were tied 2-2 and the clock was ticking, the teams were under a lot of pressure and they began to feel anxious. However, their teamwork and team spirit were at an all-time high. When they finally scored the victory goal, they celebrated together as a team. It shows that football builds team skills in its players. They have great team spirit and strong teamwork.
What role does football play in Qatari society?
Football is the most popular sport in Qatar. A testament to that is that almost all the prominent people in this country, for example the ministers, have played football at some time in their lives – not only in the neighbourhood but also for sports clubs in Qatar. For example, the Supreme Committee's Secretary General Hassan Al Thawadi was a former player at Qatar Sports Club. Now, he's the head of the local organising committee for the World Cup. This just shows you how much we love football here. Also, football teaches us life skills. We learned about leadership, teamwork and effective communication through football from an early age.
What changes are happening in Qatari football culture?
Before winning the rights to host the World Cup, Qatar used to have great sports infrastructure when compared to neighbouring countries and other countries in the region. After winning the rights, there has been an increasing focus in developing sports infrastructure with international standards. There has also been a focus in training young football players in clubs and coaches, too.
We can say that we now have resources and infrastructure to host any sports event in the world. We now have representatives in the AFC and FIFA. The future of football here is guaranteed because we have the Aspire Academy. Most of the players on the national team are Aspire Academy graduates. This shows that Qatar had a clear plan in place for the future of football in Qatar. We have players who are eligible to play in the Olympic tournaments. We also have referees who represented us at the 2018 World Cup.
What is the most surprising or interesting part of Qatari football culture?
That our leadership and decision-makers are adamant about investing, not only in the infrastructure of the country, but also in Qatari people. You can see that through the courses, trainings and workshops that have been made available. For example, we have Josoor Institute, which trains people to become effective and wholesome leaders of the 2022 World Cup. They invite sports leadership from across the country to participate in these workshops. This shows how decision-makers in this country are looking ahead, by investing in locals and residents of Qatar.
Why is football so important for your community?
Because it's the only thing which brings together people together. You are able to meet your neighbour's kid through football. You are able to compete with another team from a different area, and meet people from there, through football. It teaches us about competitiveness, teamwork and true sportsmanship from an early age. You are able to build friendships that last a lifetime because of football.
What does football mean to you?
Football was the first game I have ever played. I was so passionate about it growing up. I even reached at point in my life where I used to sleep with a football next to me. I used to play in local clubs but then I had to leave to study abroad. I learned so much from football, mostly about life skills. I learned about building relationships with different types of people, as you have to play with 11 people a team. Each of them has a different personality.
And just as I learned from football, I also faced a lot of setbacks because of it. I had injuries and had to undergo surgery. But that didn't make me hate football, it just made me want to become involved in it in different way. I am now present in this field as an administrator, as a referee and as a coach. My life is still about football.
What will be the biggest impact of the World Cup in 2022?
Qatar and Qataris are already on the map. But with the World Cup, and following it, we are going to be put on the map even more, in a unique way. Qatar is going to appear prominent among other countries. Everyone is going to know about all the prominent people and decision-makers here. We are going to become the leaders in the field of sports because we are going to offer a unique Word Cup in 2022.
We're a small country with huge capabilities. We are going to show a perfect example of an Arab, Muslim country which has reached international standards.
What is the future for football in Qatar?
Qatar has a big, bright future in football, and other sports as well. We're going to take advantage of the human resources and infrastructure in place. We will always prove to the world that the size of a country isn't a measure of how successful it is. We will prove that we will be successful with our vision, our strategic planning and our capabilities. We have a clear plan set in place and Qatar is progressing though it.
We began with winning the AFC Asian Cup and participating at the tournament in Copa America. Hopefully, we will be finishing first at the Arabian Gulf Cup. And finally, our ultimate goal is to host a unique World Cup in 2022. That will not be our last achievement but rather the stepping stone to more and more achievements.
