Youth Corner

Youth Talent Development Tips

One of SAUNA’s objectives acknowledges the critical role of young people in fostering creative and innovative solutions to current challenges, and in driving positive social change. Our association rolls out activities that incorporate young people and empowers them to participate fully in promoting particular values in their communities. While utilizing sports as a platform, SAUNA supports youth development through physical education, physical activity, and career development. Physical activity is vital to the holistic development of young people, fostering their physical, social and emotional health. The benefits of sport reach beyond the impact on physical well-being and the value of the educational benefits of sport should not be under-estimated.

SAUNA JOINS UNDP TO PROMOTE WELLNESS

As Uganda celebrated the National Day of Physical Activity on June 17, 2024, SAUNA Director Fred Kaweesi, who also doubles as the Head of Sports at Vision Group engaged the United Nations Development Programmes Resident Representative to Uganda Nwanne Vwede-Obahor on what UNDP is doing to complement Uganda’s efforts in curbing Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and promoting healthy lifestyles.

CANADA FIRST ACADEMY IS THE BEST

I joined Canada First Academy as an assistant Coach for the Under-8 team in the summer of 2021 alongside Head Coach Yusuf Kyambadde.

SAUNA SET TO PROMOTE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Preventing the development of obesity among children and the youth is an international health priority.

HOW SPORT PREPARES FUTURE LEADERS

The real benefits of sport involvement appear among children and youth who have experienced appropriate forms of leadership.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS

Providing physical education both inside and outside of schools is crucial in helping young people to learn and develop life skills.

HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH SPORTS

Sport and physical education is fundamental to the early development of children and youth and the skills learned during play, physical education and sport contribute to the holistic development of young people.

SPORTS ACADEMIES

A Sports Academy is a talent development system designed to help young talent become the best athlete they can be in their chosen sport. Academies provide effective, safe and transparent human performance training to develop athletes to the peak of their potential. They enlist diverse experts to support youth, amateur and elite athletes with a full-circle approach that includes body, performance and cognitive training.
SAUNA supports academies within its territories with donations gathered through its links and partnerships with local organizations.

TOP 5 ACADEMIES

AJAX

Ajax’s youth academy is world famous. The goal of Ajax is to form talented young players into top football players. Only the very best will reach the top after a difficult and often long road.

Ajax is partly dependent on players from its own youth academy. The youth teams are trained in exactly the same way as the first team and these boys are therefore already accustomed to Ajax’s style of play.

SPORTING LISBON

Sporting CP Youth Program helped produce two FIFA World Player of the Year winners (Luís Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo), two Ballon d’Or winners (Luís Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo) and one runner-up (Paulo Futre), and one FIFA Ballon d’Or winner (Cristiano Ronaldo)

Many of the players who have graduated from the Lisbon school have played an important role in Portugal’s recent football revolution.

SANTOS

Santos youth academy has been a persistent source of Brazilian talent throughout the years with Pele, Robinho and, more recently, Neymar coming through the ranks.

The Brazilian club looks after players from Under-11 groups and up until the first team. Santos have also set up a Centre of Football Performance Development as physical preparation for all age groups.

Santos youth academy consists of the reserve and academy teams and is rated among the best youth academies in South America.

ATHLETIC BILBAO

Athletic Club takes pride in its own and has a philosophy and way of seeing football that is unique in the world of football. This ideal is fully reflected in its policy of promoting academy players. The club’s sporting philosophy is governed by a code which states that Athletic Club may only field players who have come through its own academy or the academies of other clubs in the Basque Country, or players who were born in the following territories which constitute the Basque Country: Biscay, Gipuzkoa, Alava, Navarre, Labourd, Soule and Lower Navarre.

BARCELONA

Barcelona’s football academy –the La Masia is regarded as the best youth soccer academy in the world. Some of the players that came through La Masia are Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, and Sergio Busquets.

The academy teaches the players the basic concepts of football in order for them to be able to deal successfully with sporting challenges in the future, while also teaching them the values that are so representative of FC Barcelona: respect, effort, ambition, teamwork and humility.