Coach Emad Foundation is Lyari’s theatre of dreams

Emad wanted to become a professional football coach and open an academy. He had already played for Karachi United and qualified for two out of the six FIFA coaching training licenses.

His dream finally came true on Saturday in Lyari. The only tragedy was that he wasn’t there to see it. He had passed away in 2018.

Emad’s mission has been taken forward by his father, Syed Ali Azfar Naqvi, who has revamped the Coach Emad Football Academy that was inaugurated in the presence of cheerful supporters in Singo Lane. The academy has been upgraded with state-of-the-art facilities for both boys and girls to develop their careers in football.

Naqvi, who is the chairman of the foundation, expressed the belief that the academy would give young people from the area an opportunity to become professional footballers. “I want to thank everyone who supported me through this journey,” he said. “The Emad Foundation was completely built on donations and it is absolutely free. Kids are provided free training and kits through qualified coaches.”

The academy itself has been open since 2018. It started with 100 young footballers and has grown to 325. The academy’s expansion has brought on more coaches and its hours have been extended from 2-4pm to 2-7pm.