FIFA President Gianni Infantino, FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger and FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis have all praised the Bahrain Football Association (BFA) at a milestone event to celebrate the development of the country’s FIFA Talent Academy.

Speaking at the FIFA Football Summit 2023 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development set out the blueprint for the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS), which is aimed at giving every girl or boy a pathway to the professional game regardless of where they live or their financial situation. A key pillar of the TDS is the development of FIFA Talent Academies, with the goal being to establish at least 75 elite performance facilities across FIFA’s 211 Member Associations by the end of 2027.

“In the past, too many players missed out on the possibility of a professional career, simply because they were not spotted, or because they did not get the right coaching. Reversing this trend benefits the players themselves and also helps their countries by giving them a better chance of competing at the very highest level, and this will, in turn, be good for football, as it will help make the game truly global,” said the FIFA President in a video message played at the ceremony in the Bahraini capital, Manama. “Today’s milestone event at the FIFA Talent Academy in Bahrain is both an important step forward for FIFA and a testament to Bahrain’s remarkable progress in supporting young talent. Bahrain has been a pioneer in the FIFA Talent Development Scheme and I want to thank you for your support. Together, together, we celebrate the great progress that has been made.”

Speaking at the event, which was also attended by the BFA President, His Excellency Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Mr Wenger spoke of his delight at seeing the steps Bahrain has taken to ensure the crème de la crème of its grassroots game can rise to the top.

“We already have 21 academies open in the world. Why did we start here in Bahrain? Because I think all the ingredients are here on the structural front, on the human front, to be the first official opening here in Bahrain, because we want to reward every federation for doing something for their youth and we decided to start here,” he explained, while also emphasising how the BFA’s example will serve to inspire inside and outside the country. “It will have a direct impact on the quality of their youth, as well as an indirect impact that can be measured by how all the other countries will see that, ‘Bahrain does something, oh we have to do something as well for the youth’. This indirect impact is difficult to measure, but travelling a lot, I see that everybody now is conscious that they have to do something for the education of their youth.”

Established in 2021, the TDS aspires to provide top-class facilities for fledgling talents and support its successful implementation, FIFA is also sending accredited coaches around the world to help establish a network that will be able to identify youngsters with potential, give them the tools to develop their natural talent to its full extent, and then provide the opportunity for them to put it into practice with the long-term goal of raising the standard of international football globally. “After a few years the quality of what you do at youth level impacts the results of the senior team, there's no doubt about that,” said Mr Wenger. “All the 20-best FIFA-ranked countries in the world have the best level of educational values. So, the impact is 100%.” A double FIFA Women’s World Cup™ winner as a coach, Jill Ellis underlined the importance of the role played by those tasked with the job of refining raw potential into a player equipped to perform for their country on the global stage.

“I think when you talk about development, you have to bring in coaches that are going to help the education,” she said. “It’s an education[al] process, not just to identify talent, but (to) build curriculums (and) identify players. So, I think that something like this, in this region, is going to be great to help the little girl, the little boy who someday wants to go and play for their national team or play in a professional environment. This is their gateway to that, because they get an opportunity to be seen, to be motivated, inspired, and also obviously educated.” The former United States Women’s National Team coach added: “I think something like this brings together people that are passionate about the development and identification of talent.” In addition to adhering to rigorous safeguarding measures to provide youngsters with a safe space in which to play and learn, each FIFA Talent Academy must prioritise education as a cornerstone of a holistic approach that is designed to also have a wider impact on the country’s society.

“We are also aware that football has an important role to play beyond the pitch, so the FIFA Talent Academies will look to develop well-rounded individuals by instilling values such as discipline, teamwork and leadership through football in a safe environment,” said Mr Infantino. “This will ensure that players not only excel on the pitch but also grow as responsible, contributing members of our society.” Mr Wenger added: “Football has not only a footballing responsibility but also an educational responsibility. Team sport helps, as well to, of course, cope with the needed compromise that you have to live together in a society, and on an educational front, a team sport is absolutely vital to know how to behave in a society, and that's why I think the educational responsibility in our academies is vital as well.”