The Dubai Fitness Challenge has hearts pumping across the city with thousands of participants aiming to complete 30 minutes of activity every day for thirty days.
And in an innovative approach, IFA, the largest grassroots football program in Dubai, has embraced the challenge by inviting parents of their players to join in with the children for the final 30 minutes of every coaching session; as well as offering a 30 per cent discount on sessions and 30 hours of free pitch space.
Importantly for IFA however, the focus is not just on the 30 day challenge (which commented on October 20), but on creating a legacy from the challenge which will continue indefinitely as a lifelong fitness program, with the aim of making Dubai the world’s most active city.
IFA, which recently became the first football academy in the UAE to partner with Coerver Coaching, the world’s leading football coaching program, intends to create the legacy through the launch of a first of its kind interactive app, IFASport, which is designed to help each player develop and succeed, not only in football but also in all spheres of their lives.
The app, developed by IFA, fuses a safe social media environment with a health and fitness tracker to record performance, track growth, development and achievements and create challenges for friends to compete against each other. It can also be used to track academic progress and performance, as well as other activities or interests.
Space to play: What better way to watch your child in action?
IFA Technical Director Tommy Wingrove said: “The Dubai Fitness Challenge is an excellent initiative and we are delighted to be a part of it.
“It’s been a great success inviting the parents to join their children to get their 30 minutes of activity, and the Challenge is the ideal opportunity to kickstart a lifelong fitness program encouraged by the use of the app.
“Our aim is to keep the momentum from the Dubai Fitness Challenge going, ultimately contributing to Dubai becoming the most active city in the world.”
The app also allows parents and players to engage directly with the coaches and the academy to book training sessions and facilities, view performance and assessment reports from coaches, as well as receive tips and training drills.
Wingrove added: “The app also encourages parents to engage with their children and the application can be extended to academic activities and any other areas of interest in the child’s life. We are planning to make the app available to any interested groups and organisations as it can be easily adapted to a variety of situations.”
He continued: “It’s an exciting time for IFA, with the new partnership with Coerver we are really raising the standard for our elite players, and with the activities associated with the Dubai Fitness Challenge and the release of the app we are continuing to grow our grass roots base and encourage more participation across the emirate.”
Have you download the IFA app yet?
