In honour of the Canterbury United Futsal Dragons and New Zealand Futsal Whites goalkeeper, Mainland Football has launched a Goalkeeper and Leadership program in Atta Elayyan’s name.

Atta Elayyan won 2 New Zealand Football National League titles with the Canterbury United team and received the New Zealand Football National Futsal Player of the Year award in 2014. Atta had been coaching the Christchurch Boys High Futsal team a week out from the National Secondary School’s Competition, but tragically on 15th March 2019, Atta was fatally shot during the Christchurch Mosque shootings.

This Atta Elayyan Goalkeeper and Leadership programme will involve ten goalkeepers from 8 schools in Christchurch and will run for six weeks. The programme will involve elite goalkeeper skill training, and leadership modules focused on values, identity, managing conflict and goals.

Speaking about the programme, Mainland Football Diversity and Inclusion Manager Hussain Hanif said, “Atta Elayyan was a humble leader who had the vision and aspirations to personally establish a goalkeeper academy in Christchurch as there was a lack of goalkeeper coaching for the next generation. This program is to keep a memory of Atta and turn his vision into a legacy for the next generation of goalkeepers in New Zealand. Thank you to Atta’s family and friends for all the support with this program.”

Martin Field Dodgson, Mainland Football CEO, said, “We’re extremely excited to get the Atta Elayyan Goalkeeper and Leadership program up and running. Mainland Football’s purpose is all about “Empowering individuals to build stronger communities”, and this program, driven by Atta’s vision of helping to develop and support people, perfectly aligns with everything we are about. In conjunction with Canterbury Cricket, being able to deliver this program further emphasises our desire to build inclusive communities where everyone feels a genuine sense of belonging."

Article added: Tuesday 05 April 2022