Real Madrid train Palestinian refugee camp coaches

AFP, QALANDIA: Usually they’re the ones giving the orders but on Monday 20 Palestinian football coaches were taking instructions from a trainer sent by Real Madrid at a West Bank refugee camp.
For the past five years the legendary Spanish club have been sending representatives of their charitable foundation to pass on their skills to coaches in a joint programme with the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which cares for Palestinian refugees.
This year’s teach-in was attended by coaches from all over the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but their colleagues from the Gaza Strip were absent after being denied permits by Israel to cross its territory to reach the small training ground in Qalandia, between Ramallah and Jerusalem.
As the starting whistle blew, the coaches were allocated to groups of Palestinian youngsters where they conducted quizzes on sport, general knowledge and the benefits of a balanced diet. The aim, said Spanish UNRWA worker Lucia Martinez, is to promote sport as a therapy for the “very stressed” Palestinian children.
“This helps them to feel better, relieve stress and anxiety created by the situation in the refugee camps or in Gaza,” she told AFP.
Rita Amdaghlas, 34, has been passing on her passion for football for the past six years to children aged eight to 14 at a school run by the Roman Catholic church.
She joined the Real Madrid programme for the first time this year and says the experience has already taught her “games to boost the children’s capacities and participation.”

Real Madrid train Palestinian refugee camp coaches

AFP, QALANDIA: Usually theyre the ones giving the orders but on Monday 20 Palestinian football coaches were taking instructions from a trainer sent by Real Madrid at a West Bank refugee camp. For the past five years the legendary Spanish club have been sending representatives of their charitable foundation to pass on their skills to coaches in a joint programme with the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which cares for Palestinian refugees. This years teach-in was attended by coaches from all over the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but their colleagues from the Gaza Strip were absent after being denied permits by Israel to cross its territory to reach the small training ground in Qalandia, between Ramallah and Jerusalem. As the starting whistle blew, the coaches were allocated to groups of Palestinian youngsters where they conducted quizzes on sport, general knowledge and the benefits of a balanced diet. The aim, said Spanish UNRWA worker Lucia Martinez, is to promote sport as a therapy for the very stressed Palestinian children. This helps them to feel better, relieve stress and anxiety created by the situation in the refugee camps or in Gaza, she told AFP. Rita Amdaghlas, 34, has been passing on her passion for football for the past six years to children aged eight to 14 at a school run by the Roman Catholic church. She joined the Real Madrid programme for the first time this year and says the experience has already taught her games to boost the childrens capacities and participation.