Quast: Football well-suited for development aid

The FCSA is an alliance of different professional football clubs working together in areas of conflict and development. The Werkself have been members since 2009. The initiator was the Scort Foundation based in Switzerland.

In an interview with bayer04.de, the experienced football coach Peter Quast talks about his work in Colombia at the beginning of April, his most formative experiences from years of working on projects as well as the special effect that football can have on people.

Peter, you were in Colombia a few weeks ago as a Bayer 04 instructor doing follow-up work with 39 young football coaches. What's your assessment of that?

Quast: The follow-up was important, not just as a refresher event but also as a sort of question and answer session. Half of the participants were already qualified Young Coaches and the other half were the so-called Peers. They are prospective youth coaches being taught by the Young Coaches. The young football coaches have the opportunity to put questions and clear up any misunderstandings that may have arisen since our last visit a couple of years ago. It was both about the structure of training sessions as well as the integration of disabled children into the coaching groups.

Before it comes to the follow-up, the Young Coaches go through a thorough training programme in the individual venues. How is that structured?

Quast: The Young Coach training programme consists of three modules. These cover the basics of planning training sessions and the organisation of the football festival. Within a year we trainers return and, in the meantime, the Young Coaches go back to their communities and apply the knowledge they've learned from us. The prime importance there is for them to be flexible and to be able to adapt their training sessions to the particular local circumstances. We train the Young Coaches but they are responsible for implementing the content conveyed.

That's how the knowledge is gradually extended…

Quast: Exactly. We look for the spread effect. Training Young Coaches who can then go on to teach other Young Coaches. Sustainability is always centre stage. The Young Coaches regularly report to us on their work in their communities or which teams are looking after or which activities they are running. We instructors are then happy to help from afar and provide assistance as required.

The project work had to stop during the coronavirus pandemic. When did you get back out as an instructor for Bayer 04?

Quast: The follow-up in Colombia was the first FCSA event since the outbreak of the pandemic. It's important for us to get back to the localities again. The direct contact with Young Coaches and the close cooperation with them are preconditions for us being able to effectively convey content. During the sessions, we tried to work as much as possible in the fresh air and avoid being inside as far as possible.

How do you prepare for such a deployment as an instructor?

Quast: I always try to find out as much as possible about the individual country. This gives me a first overview of the circumstances in the locality and also allows me to gain the impression of what I might expect. In relation to the training sessions, I know beforehand about the content planned. Then we only have to adapt it to the circumstances in situ.

Bayer 04, in partnership with the Scort Foundation, have been organising training programmes worldwide since 2009: Which countries have you been to for the FCSA?

Quast: Up to now there have been ten countries including Colombia, Rwanda, Lebanon, Jordan, Uganda and India. My first trip as a Bayer 04 instructor was to Sudan in 2009. People there were living under the most difficult conditions. There, it was great to see what effect football can have. Worries can be forgotten for a moment and smiles spread across the children's faces.

In addition to Bayer 04, FC Basel, Austria Vienna, Mainz 05, Werder Bremen and Schalke 04 are members of the FCSA. What's it like working with the instructors from the other clubs?

Quast: We instructors coordinate the training sessions in situ and we are responsible for seeing that the Young Coaches gain as much as possible from our programmes. There are always two or three trainers in action. The coaching staff is put together according to availability. And we split up the different responsibilities in the particular locality. The Scort Foundation is normally responsible for the majority of the organisation ahead of the event, mainly in cooperation with the regional authorities. The circumstances are completely different according to the country. In Sudan we played on a field that had just been ploughed and we had to level it out with our feet.

How many children do you normally look after?

Quast: The number of children in the sessions is difficult to predict. In the beginning, you plan for around 100 children and it ends up with you suddenly having 250 children on the pitch. At those moments, everything comes down to the flexibility of the Young Coaches and others instructors. One thing is certain: No children will be sent away. Everybody has the opportunity to join in.

Are there moments in your work as an instructor that you particularly remember?

Quast: There are definite experiences I won't forget in a hurry. The first thing I think of is always our work in India. The chasm between poverty and wealth there is enormous. We were in the Dharavi slum, one of the biggest slums in the world. There were certain situations where I had to take a deep breath – looking at the misery of the people who were, in part, battling to survive.

That makes your work even more important. What's special about working with Young Coaches and football crazy children and teenagers all over the world?

Quast: The smiles of the children when they join in with our sessions and are able to leave their everyday worries behind them for a moment. Also, seeing how the Young Coaches grow into their role always makes it clear to me why we make these long journeys and run these projects.

You've already talked about the special effect football can have. Football is often said to have the power to bring peoples together: Why do you think that is?

Quast: Everybody can join in. Also, you don't need a lot to be able to play football. As long as there is an open space and something that can be used as the ball then there's nothing to stop you playing. Stones or sticks as goalposts, palm leaves as coordination guides. We also want to convey that to the Young Coaches with our training programmes: How do I use the materials available to me most effectively? There are no limits to creativity. You can always find a solution somehow.

Looking to the future: Where will your next trip be as an instructor for Bayer 04?

Quast: We are still planning at the moment. A new project in Colombia is planned for June. Greece is also on the agenda in terms of working with refugees and getting involved with the Young Coaches Education Programme.