Rashid Abba, Academy Link Mentor Coach from English Premier League club West Ham United Football Club, conducted a series of inspiring and highly interactive coaching sessions at the Muslim Hands Educational Complex, Wazirabad, under the Muslim Hands Sports for Development Project-Maidaan.

The sessions focused on leadership, discipline, teamwork, and modern coaching methodologies, with the objective of empowering local coaches to better nurture young talent, strengthen grassroots football structures, and contribute to the development of a positive and sustainable sports culture in Pakistan. A total of 68 grassroots football coaches from local community academies, along with qualified national-level coaches from across Pakistan, participated in the program.
The sessions were further honored by the presence of Mr. Hafiz M. Zakaullah, Vice President of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), as well as representatives from the District Football Associations of Gujrat, Wazirabad, Gujranwala, and Sialkot.

The training was designed to be highly interactive, featuring group activities, teamwork-based tasks, practical on-field demonstrations, coaching games, and structured presentations. These elements encouraged open discussion, peer learning, and hands-on understanding of modern football coaching practices aligned with international standards.

Rashid Abba is currently visiting Pakistan as part of the Muslim Hands Sports for Development Project “Maidaan” which aims to use sport as a tool for social change by promoting inclusion, education, life skills, and opportunities for underpriv ileged children and youth through structured sports pro-grammes.
This initiative marks a signifi-cant step towards strengthening grassroots football and enhanc ing coaching capacity across Pakistan, reinforcing Maidaan’s commitment to long-term, sus tainable sports development.