Football for Change - Football Charity

Message from Sadiq:

"I believe children have the future of Iraq in their hands and I want to help them. If we can steer them in the right direction, the outlook for the country will be very positive.

I am keen to provide these youngsters with sharp skills and give them the methodology and care that I never had as a young footballer in Iraq. The training emphasis is on developing the players’ tactical awareness, which, partnered with their natural ball ability reaps big rewards.

It is also crucial to improve the quality of coaching in order to keep these talented players committed to training. I place a lot of emphasis on the ethics of team play. These are skills that are invaluable on and off the pitch and work towards developing discipline, trust and responsibility among all players."

Sadiq Alwohali

Football for Change was started in 2006 by Sadiq Alwohali, a FA-accredited football coach who has lived in the UK for 14 years. Sadiq grew up in Bagdad but fled Iraq when he realised he could not pursue his love of football. Sadiq now works as a football coach for Soccerscool in Hackney, east London.

When democracy emerged in Iraq, Sadiq decided he wanted to use his skills as a football coach constructively to join people together. He began by bringing a group of Iraqi youngsters to the UK for a summer football school where they trained and played matches with children in London and in Brighton.

The success of this summer school encouraged Sadiq to expand the programme. In January 2007 he returned to Iraq for the first time in 13 years to set up a football summer school in his native Bagdad. He returned again in the summer to set up more programmes in Baghdad, Amara, Najafe, Falwoja and Erbil, and plans to expand the project even more in the future.


	Message from Sadiq: "I believe children have the future of Iraq in their hands and I want to help them. If we can steer them in the right direction, the outlook for the country will be very positive. I am keen to provide these youngsters with sharp skills and give them the methodology and care that I never had as a young footballer in Iraq. The training emphasis is on developing the players’ tactical awareness, which, partnered with their natural ball ability reaps big rewards. It is also crucial to improve the quality of coaching in order to keep these talented players committed to training. I place a lot of emphasis on the ethics of team play. These are skills that are invaluable on and off the pitch and work towards developing discipline, trust and responsibility among all players." Sadiq Alwohali Football for Change was started in 2006 by Sadiq Alwohali, a FA-accredited football coach who has lived in the UK for 14 years. Sadiq grew up in Bagdad but fled Iraq when he realised he could not pursue his love of football. Sadiq now works as a football coach for Soccerscool in Hackney, east London. When democracy emerged in Iraq, Sadiq decided he wanted to use his skills as a football coach constructively to join people together. He began by bringing a group of Iraqi youngsters to the UK for a summer football school where they trained and played matches with children in London and in Brighton. The success of this summer school encouraged Sadiq to expand the programme. In January 2007 he returned to Iraq for the first time in 13 years to set up a football summer school in his native Bagdad. He returned again in the summer to set up more programmes in Baghdad, Amara, Najafe, Falwoja and Erbil, and plans to expand the project even more in the future.
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