Head of Methodology and Academy at Mamelodi Sundowns Shawn Bishop recently returned from Portugal during the FIFA week to continue his football education and complete his Masters.
“I was completing my Master in High Performance Football from the Faculty of Human Movement at the University of Lisbon, it is a Postgraduate degree offered by the University that has a history of producing some of the best football coaches in the world.”, said Shawn upon his return.
“It was severely delayed by the COVID pandemic and I had to fast track many of my modules so that I could be complete them by the end of 2022. Having started way back in the beginning of 2019, [I have been] going on for 4 years now.”
“I have interacted with many high end Coaches working in clubs in Europe, and the University uses its network of former students and Alumni to enhance this experience by arranging meetings and talks with High Performance Coaches, Jose Mourinho being one of them who graduated from the University in 1987, along with a number of many other familiar names, such Andre Villa Boas, Carlos Quieroz and so forth.”
Shawn also detailed the requirements for coaching at an international level and gave an insight into how
“In Portugal to be a coach, you first have to complete a degree in Physical Education and Football from a University, before you can climb onto the coaching ladder, and get the UEFA Licensing from the Football Association. The University works closely with the Football Federation on these students and former players to ensure that they get the proper education.”
The University currently has 42 graduates working in High Performance Football across the 31 Elite Leagues in Europe, as well as 5 x Coaches working in Brazil in the Premier League.
“During this FIFA Week, I was immersed into the Benfica Academy following closely the UEFA Youth League and National League Champions in the club, the U19 team.”
