Coaches from the English Premier League giants Liverpool Football Club (LFC) jetted into the country for a training program targeting local coaches.
The club in a statement on April 17, 2024, announced that the program was aimed at providing training to 35 coaches in the country.
“Liverpool FC and its principal partner Standard Chartered have provided training to 35 coaches in Nairobi, Kenya, “read part of the statement.
The program according to the club is delivered by coaches from Liverpool’s International Academy and LFC Foundation.
Liverpool further noted that the three- day program equipped the coaches with the skills to empower girls in their community to succeed through sport.
According to the club, the program combines classroom-based and on-pitch learning with workshops covering various aspects such as ‘person-centered approach’.
Others include ‘barriers to participation’, ‘mental health and wellbeing’, ‘balancing life’ and ‘empowering women in leadership’.
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Further, the club stated that the local coaches put into practice what they had learnt during the program following a series of daily tasks.
They were tasked to create their own session plans incorporating the ‘Play On’ curriculum, which they will then take back and deliver to girls in their local communities.
Liverpool Lauded
Standard Chartered Head of corporate affairs and brand marketing Joyce Kibe lauded the program noting that it aspired to identify ways of impacting communities in meaningful and tangible ways.
“Our partnership allows us to meet our objectives to support sustainable economic and social development, while inspiring more girls to thrive in the long term,” she noted.
The program also saw coaches from local NGO Vijana Amani Pamoja take part in the training alongside local grassroots and academy coaches.
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On his part, Liverpool’s Senior Program Manager of International Academies Steven Gillespie said that the program was successful.
“Working with the local coaches, we’ve explored LFC’s coaching philosophy, which puts the person above the player, provided practical coaching guidance and given a unique insight for the participants,” he noted.
Liverpool and its partner Standard Chartered launched their joint ‘Play On’ campaign in May 2023 with the aim to inspire, empower and educate girls to participate in sport.
According to the club the campaign was launched after learning that twice as many girls than boys drop out of the sport by age 14.
The campaign also involved a successful digital awareness campaign featuring senior Liverpool players and first team coach Jürgen Klopp.
It is from the successful campaign that the program was developed as practical training to be delivered in-person, on the ground, which saw local coaches and female participants involved.
The inaugural ‘Play On: Train the Trainer’ program was held in Pretoria, South Africa in November 2023 for 34 local coaches, who have since gone on to train 3,600 girls.
