June 2014 brought the conclusion of Phase II of the Saudi Youth Sports Initiative (SYSI) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. SYSI Phase II continued the "train the trainers" curriculum begun last year, instructing new basketball and football coaches and conducting boys camps in both sports. Three weeks of instruction and training took place between 8-26 June 2014, with all sessions held at beautiful Faisal Zahid Sports Park in Jeddah.
Basketball Referee Training
Global Sports Partners (GSP) is pleased to share an inspiring story of sport development from earlier this year. We believe it is possible to cross barriers and bring hope in every location and context, and we are proud to partner with local organizations who seek to improve their country's culture of health, wellness, and sport. In many countries women's sport has low levels of participation, and this particular initiative addressed the lack of qualified female basketball referees available for local competition.
Saudi Youth Sports Intiative
Arriving early for each session, GSP Football and Basketball experts Gregg Schroeder, Adam Bush, and Ian Hughes devoted plenty of personal time to interact with the campers and enjoyed getting to know and understand a bit about the life circumstances of many of them. All of the youth were enthusiastic and very grateful that Global Sports Partners would bring coaches to their neighborhood to conduct such a camp. The camps were made possible through the cooperative partnership between GSP and Jeddah United Sports Club and their assistance in preparing for this event. Promoting fair play and good sportsmanship, the theme for the camps was, “Say ‘no’ to bad sportsmanship”.