Idman.biz
Interview with Zaur Hashimov, Coordinator of the "Zira" Football Academy, to Offsideplus.az
- The 2024/25 season is coming to an end. How do you assess this season for the "Zira" Football Academy?
- We are seeing the results of our work over the past 3 years this season. Speaking of specific results, our academy's U15 team played in the playoffs, and the U16 team is in the semifinals. In addition, the U17 team continues to fight for the championship. The U19 team, which plays in the Youth League, has a chance to win bronze medals. That is, all 4 of our teams are competing for high places this year. But results are not a priority for us. We have not set such a goal for the children and coaches. Although the result is pleasing, the most important thing in our work is the development of the children. One of the things that pleased us most this season was that players from all age groups were invited to the national teams. In other words, our players represent "Zira" in the U16, U17, U18 and U19 national teams. This is considered one of our biggest achievements in the 2024/25 season.
- Last year, "Zira" did not have so many players in the national teams?
- We only gave players to the U17 national team. This year, even two of our players were invited from the U16 national team. They participated in friendly matches against Belarus last week. 4 of our players are regularly called up to the U17 national team. We also had 2 representatives in the U19 team. You know why this is pleasing? Because when we took these players, they were 13, 14 years old. Those invited to the national teams are purely graduates of the "Zira" Football Academy. That is, we did not attract them from anywhere, but rather raised them ourselves.
- When you talked about the results of the academy, you mentioned teenagers - 15-19 years old. What about the situation in the lower age groups?
- As for the younger players, no goal related to results has been set for them either. Children aged 8-13 approach football as entertainment. We ourselves accept this reality. Experience shows that all the energy should be given to children over 13 years old. For example, we had a goalkeeper in our academy who was a candidate for the national team. He was 14 years old. All his indicators were in place, promising prospects. But unexpectedly, at the age of 14, he quit football and chose boxing. Or several of our 13-year-old players changed their minds and started doing something completely different. Nevertheless, the preparation process and development of children aged 8-13 are under our control. We have good coaches, they are constantly conducting selections. We have built the system like this: the coaches of our academy, starting from the U-14 teams, are more seriously engaged with the players, and give more importance to their development.
- It is gratifying that young football players in the "Zira" team are attracting attention in the last rounds of the Misli Premier League.
- One of our main tasks is to train players for the main team. In the match against "Sabail", Ramiz Muradov, a graduate of the academy, made his debut in "Zira" this season. The names of 5 football players from the academy were included in the game protocol. Even 17-year-old Ahliman Suleymanzade is participating in the training sessions of the main team. God willing, in the near future we will see more graduates of the academy in the Premier League in the "Zira" team.
- How do you think, have you achieved the goal set by the management this season?
- The goal of all of us is to train good football players for the "Zira" club and national teams. Let me note that in the work process, we are not limited to training football players. We try to shape children as individuals. They can become future coaches, managers, football functionaries. The management of "Zira" has further improved the conditions for the academy in the last 2-3 years. For example, if 12-13 coaches used to work in the academy, now their number is equal to 34. In addition to the head coach in various age groups, their assistants also operate. The number of our goalkeeping coaches has reached 4. 4 doctors work in the academy teams. All these are the results of systematic work.
- There are probably shortcomings in the work process. What is the biggest difficulty currently facing the "Zira" Football Academy?
- Our only difficulty is that not all football players train in the same place. Children train on pitches that we rent in different parts of Baku. This is the only negative thing that does not satisfy me at the moment. The management is trying to solve this issue, work is being done on it.
- When will the football player selections for the academy take place?
- We have selections in both winter and summer. Since our U-15 team has finished its performance in the championship, selections are underway in this age group. 15-16 football players have come to the review. At the same time, there are several teams we cooperate with, and we attract promising football players from those teams to the academy. It is planned to hold selections in other age groups in the near future.
Idman.biz
