The Diplomat
The Spanish Embassy in Angola, together with La Liga, and in collaboration with SD Foot Talents and the Angolan Football Academy (AFA), organised last week a training day for women’s football coaches in the African country, taking advantage of the international leadership that the Spanish national team currently has, after being proclaimed world champion.
Women’s football in Angola has started to take its first steps, so this Spanish cooperation with La Liga and the AFA aims to support this sport. This first training course for female coaches dealt with values, technique, management skills, evaluation and other aspects related to the profession of football coaches.
According to the Spanish ambassador in Luanda, Manuel Lejarreta, as Spanish women’s football has become a world reference, it is both a stimulus and an opportunity to take advantage of the lessons that can be learned from Spain. The fact that FIFA has awarded Aitana Bonmatí the 2023 Golden Ball trophy, Salma Paracuello the trophy for best player of the 2023 women’s football championship tournament, and other names of international reference in women’s football such as Alexia Putellas, make up a prestigious brand.
The AFA is an institution of great prestige in African football technically directed by Antonio Cortes, former assistant coach of the Catalonia national team, and SD Foot Talents, directed by Sandra Dias, former member of the Angolan national women’s football team and current coach of the Angola U-20 women’s football team. These two institutions, together with La Liga, which has acted as a link between the parties, have collaborated in this training of female coaches.
With this activity, the Spanish Embassy, through the technical training of female coaches and training in sport and values aimed at Angolan girls and young women, wants to promote social inclusion and the empowerment of Angolan women, following the guidelines of the feminist foreign policy, promoted by the Spanish Government.
