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MEET THE COACHES
AYAS ALI
Regarded as one of the best young coach in Tower Hamlets with UEFA B license qualification. Ayas has been playing and coaching over 25 years. He has achieved great success in grassroots football as a coach, winning numerous honours with the Newark Youth London team and he is the youngest coach to lead a young team to the BFA UK Summer League title , the team he built while coaching. He also won the ILFL Winter League by going undefeated all season, and these achievements are unparalleled.
Other achievements were leading Newark to wining their first UK Asian Championship, which consisted of defeating the best teams in the country. Such achievements have given him opportunity to manage Sporting Bengal UTD academy, and the senior team in the Essex Senior League 9th tier of the English football pyramid along Imrul Gazi where they enjoyed success in domestics, and the FA Cup qualifying rounds reaching the 1st round knockout stages. As a coach and director of CWFA, his vision is clear to implement professional academy training programmes that all children can attend.
FOYSOL ALI
A passionate and enthusiastic individual involved in football as a Player, Coach and a Referee for over 20 years. Played Semi-professional for Sporting Bengal UTD in the Kent Senior league and the Essex Senior League.
I obtained my coaching FA Level 1 badge with West Ham United FC and currently officiating as a qualified referee at Arsenal, Tottenham, Leyton Orient academy.
With vast knowledge and understanding the laws of the game I bring Experience, Enthusiasm, Structure, Creativity and an Appetite for Success. I possess excellent communication and man-management skills. My aim is to engage with players whatever their age, ability or individual motivation. To build confidence and empower players to realise their full
potential to play the beautiful game.
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As a Coach, Referee and Director of CWFA my vision is to ensure that children at young age have access and get a chance in life to participate in high quality coaching & develop fundamental skills.
AFTAR ALI
Profile coming soon!
RAJESH SADAGOPAN
I have been fortunate to successfully represent teams in a range of sports, including football, cricket and athletics. Above all, sports have moulded me into a good human being with firm belief in teamwork, honesty, courage and fearlessness. Having a strong sense of community spirit, I have always enjoyed organising sports events in my local area.
Being inspired by the infrastructure, facilities and opportunities around me I decided to become a football coach. I started doing my Football License Level 1 and simultaneously joined Flanders Football Club and Bonny Down Community Association as a volunteer Football coach in October 2013 .
It was not easy in the beginning because playing and coaching are two different skills. I learnt those coaching skills and techniques gradually and steadily. In addition, I enrolled for more courses Level 2 , Youth module 1, Youth module 2, Safeguarding , First aid and Goalkeeping Level 1 in Football. After gaining experience in Football coaching, I joined Sporting Bengal Academy and Canary Wharf Football Academy.
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I did my Level 3 Diploma in Supporting, Learning and Teaching and started working as a PE Cover Supervisor. I really enjoyed working in the school environment and tackling all of the exciting challenges. It was lovely and brought back the memories of my school years.
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I have the right attitude and the willingness to learn further and work as a team. I would like to share my experience, knowledge, coaching skills and techniques with students and shape the young people I work with to be mentally and physically strong and to become successful in life.
DANIEL ROWAN
I have been coaching for over 15 years and have a keen interest in youth development.
Having played football to a semi-professional level I felt it was important for me to get a better understanding of the game. I am currently a UEFA B qualified coach, a qualified futsal coach, and also a level 7 referee. I feel this gives me a holistic view of the game and allows me to pass on this information to the next generation of players. Having coached at a local level for over 15 years and been involved within community football for over 35 years I have an excellent understanding of local football and have formed a wide network.
My over-riding belief when I am coaching within the community is to develop players whilst making the sessions fun and interactive.
I believe it is important to ensure that the children I coach conduct themselves equally well both on and off the football pitch and show respect for one another. As a youth coach my passion is youth development and I am pleased that my coaching principles match those of CWFA.
CWFA has demonstrated that they are able to strike the balance between coaching a player and developing a person.
The culture created at CWFA resonated with me as there is a greater focus on two questions:
Did you enjoy yourself?
What did you learn?
I feel that these are far more important questions young people should be asked rather than did you win?
RAUL GAZI
I have been involved in the east London football scene from the age of 10, having played in multiple youth team set ups as well as learning about football and coaching from numerous highly qualified coaches. This pushed me to play at a semi-pro level for Sporting Bengal. The overall experience has now put me in a position where I feel I can pass this knowledge on.
I started coaching in 2019 at a similar project called optima sports and then moved onto the CWFA for their summer project. The project showed me how fulfilling it is to be able to provide younger children the chance to have fun through sport, which is happening less often nowadays. The sessions were always well organised, and the kids would enjoy them as well as learn a lot.
Being a part of a project like this also helped me learn a lot on how to coach children, plus, how to manage them. The other coaches all have the same intention of helping the community and I hope to pick up their ethics and work rate while I coach at the academy.
I am working towards getting my coaching badges. While I have been coaching at the academy, my coaching skills have been tested as well as majorly improved. The foundation of these skills was obtained through multiple young leadership courses I completed throughout my youth. I hope to pass some of the values of my coaching down to the players I coach at the CWFA.
IMRUL GAZI
I've been coaching football since I moved to London in 2010 from My hometown of Bradford.
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I am a Level 2 coach & am Currently the FIRST TEAM MANAGER at Step 5 Sporting Bengal Utd FC who play in the Essex Senior League (Since 2015).
I love ALL THINGS GRASSROOTS & feel we ALL have a responsibility to give back in some way to the communities in which we live.
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Before Sporting Bengal I was heavily involved with Youth football in the Tower Hamlets area. My experiences include being Vice Chair at Bangladesh Football Association, Tower Hamlets Youth League Chairman, Grassroots Advisor for London with Kick It Out. In 2013/14 i had a stint as QPR Football Club Scout. I managed & coached FC Osmani Youth for 4 seasons. And they won EVERYTHING in that time & as well as 5 players having trials at Pro clubs in that time. At the same time I also was involved in setting up the Sporting Bengal Academy alongside ex Pro Footballer Anwar Uddin.
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I am currently also a Council member at London Football Association. It's an absolute pleasure to be involved at CWFA a fledgling Football club with an bright future. It's run in the right way & by the right people. Kids & parents can rest assured that children will have fun & learn in a safe environment with qualified coaches.
AROZ MIAH
As a highly qualified coach, he has a wealth of experience and knowledge, and he is very dedicated, and he has a level of dedication and commitment that exceeds any expectations. On match days or for training sessions, he commutes two hours from Milton Keynes.
As an integral part of Milton Keynes Dons FC's youth development system, he managed players like Dele Alli to reach the top of the football pyramid, and is currently playing for Tottenham Hotspurs and the England national team..
Aroz was also Imrul Gazi's assistant at Sporting Bengal United FC in the Essex Senior League, where he applied his tactical knowledge to help lead Sporting Bengal United FC to a record points tally in a season and success in the FA Cup.
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It is a pleasure for Canary Wharf Football Academy to have his wealth of experience and knowledge transfer to the next generation of footballers.