Islam Adel begins football management placement at German club SpVgg Greuther Furth

Former Al Ittihad Alexandria football director Islam Adel has started a work-experience placement with German club SpVgg Greuther Furth to study its methods of training, football operations and player development.

The placement will give Adel an opportunity to observe how the club organises its work and manages its football teams. It is also intended to provide insight into the processes used to develop players within the club.

Adel’s visit forms part of his efforts to learn from European football experiences and gain a better understanding of modern approaches to working across the game. He aims to use the knowledge gained in Germany to identify methods that could be adapted to the particular conditions of Egyptian football.

The programme is expected to include attendance at training sessions, allowing Adel to examine the club’s daily working practices and the way its football activities are structured. He will also hold meetings with a number of officials and coaches at SpVgg Greuther Furth.

Those discussions will focus on their experiences of managing and developing football departments. The placement is therefore intended to provide Adel with a broader view of how a European club operates, both on the training ground and at an administrative level.

The former Al Ittihad Alexandria official is seeking to benefit from direct exposure to the club’s approach rather than simply following theoretical studies of European football. By attending sessions and meeting members of the club’s staff, he will be able to review the methods used in player development and team management.

Adel’s stated objective is to take from the experience what can be applied to Egyptian football, while recognising the nature and requirements of the local game. The placement will consequently combine observation of training with discussions about the wider management of football departments.

Before his time at Al Ittihad Alexandria, Adel held the position of football director at Ismaily and Misr Lel Makkasa. His previous work at those clubs, together with his spell at Al Ittihad Alexandria, forms the background to his current interest in studying different models of football management.

The experience at SpVgg Greuther Furth will allow him to compare those previous roles with the working methods used at a German club. It is also part of his wider attempt to benefit from the latest European approaches to the organisation, training and development of football teams.

Adel will use the knowledge acquired during the placement to assess which practices are suitable for Egyptian football and could be put into effect in the future.