– It is not easy to leave something you have worked with for two and a half years, both coaches and players. It has been very special to come back, Saleh says when NRK takes him back to training with the youth department of Øvrevoll Hosle. This is the first time he is back after he left his job as development manager on 31 March. The surveys that NRK published on Sunday show that the coaching density is far lower for girls than for boys. Where each coach for boys ‘teams in the age group 13–19 years on average is responsible for eight players, each coach for girls’ teams of the same age is responsible for 17 players on average. This led to a large workload where Saleh was responsible for following up on 70 girls with ambitions on the football field. He had the main responsibility for the everyday training of each of the girls and to ensure the quality of each player’s program. – It has been «heavy». There were many, many players to make sure that it (the offer) is good enough for, he says. Bad feeling His position was financed by the Norwegian Football Association (NFF) and Toppfotball women (TFK), but it is also the only one hundred percent position in the club’s development department. He chose to resign from the position as he did not feel he could do his job properly. – The feeling you are left with is that you do not arrive with time and everything, Saleh says. Saleh felt this every day at work in Øvrevoll Hosle. – I wanted us, both me as development manager and my coaches to deliver quality. Feeling sometimes that you do not quite have time to reach everyone was a bit demanding, he says. DEMANDING: Saleh talks about a heavy and demanding everyday life in youth football. Photo: Anne Rognerud / NRK He believes that the personal follow-up for each individual player is extremely important and that it is absolutely crucial to have people close by for the players to succeed. Something that became difficult for him. – Can you then describe how it felt to not have the resources available that you needed? – It was a bit frustrating I must say. Simply put, it is extremely frustrating when you know where you should be and what it should look like, and then you feel like you should have done even more to get there, Saleh says and elaborates: – I am afraid that it becomes too much of a burden on the coaches, and then you try to do as much as possible yourself, and over time it is not beneficial either. It has now been three months since he left Øvrevoll Hosle. For Saleh, it is very important to emphasize that he is not critical of the club and that he all in all had a great time, but that he points out a problem in women’s football in general. – It is not only football players we will develop, but we will also be involved in being there for people. And then you have to have time – then it’s not just to show up. Some have challenges with one and some with the other, and if you do not have the time to see them, it can go beyond development. Security is needed for both boys and girls to develop, he believes. Tearful farewell On April 1, he started a new job, and in Bærumsklubben Saleh is sorely missed among his former subjects. – It was very sad when he quit. There were some tears here at the last training. It was not fun, says Ingvild Tilrem Ørjavik (15) who plays on Øhils J19 team. GOOD LIKE: His former players like Saleh very much. Photo: Anne Rognerud / NRK She tells about a coach and development manager she fell in love with. – Zeid was an extremely skilled coach. He followed us up closely, each one and was very close to each individual player. It was a pity that he disappeared, she thinks. Together with teammate Karianne Nyhus (15), she is clear on what it means to receive follow-up from talented people like Saleh. – It is important to have more because then you get more personal follow-up and can work towards the goals and get some follow-up on the goals. At least I think it is extremely important, she says and gets support from Nyhus: – If you get concrete and simple feedback, it is much easier to develop and know what to work with to get as far as you want. Will bring about change Hege Jørgensen in Toppfotball Women believe that Norwegian football is dependent on a new distribution policy, to even out the differences. It is now on the stairs, NRK can reveal. In a new co-operation agreement between Toppfotball Kvinner, Norsk Toppfotball and the Norwegian Football Association, the three organizations have “agreed to enter into a binding co-operation in the period 2023–2028 to create equal opportunities for both sexes in Norwegian top football”. The Norwegian Football Association will ensure an equally good development offer for both sexes in the districts and centrally, at the same time as Norwegian Top Football (NTF) will ensure that the top clubs on the men’s side offer the same development model for both sexes. – The main goal is that together we will lift Norwegian football. We can not sit on each of our toes. We will lift both the women’s and men’s side, says Leif Øverland, CEO of NTF. NEEDS CHANGE: Leif Øverland about the unequal distribution in Norwegian football. Photo: Anne Rognerud / NRK As the top manager of the men’s clubs, he believes that it is much easier and cheaper for the women’s clubs to gain access to the men’s clubs’ expertise, than for the women to build something new on their own. – The most important thing is that they get access to the same facilities and the same expertise. We do top sports and there are small margins. It is about health, recovery, access to a physiotherapist and access to the best people in the field. You need access to skilled teachers, and through this tripartite agreement we have committed ourselves to the competence being equal whether it is a girl or a boy, says Øverland. Jørgensen in Toppfotball Kvinner is very happy with the agreement that is now in place. – It means an incredible amount. The fact that the men’s clubs incorporate the girls into their academies will mean an incredible amount. Then it’s about finding a good interaction between established environments on the women’s side and the men’s side and optimizing the development ladder together, she says.
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Zeid was responsible for 70 girls players – could not take it anymore – NRK Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
