International Football Conference Brings Specialists and Promotes Excellence

On 26th September 2024, between 10h00 and 12h00, the International Conference on Football – Pursuit of Excellence was held with great success in the Noble Hall of Lusófona University - Porto University Centre. The event brought together national and international experts, coaches, researchers, and students, all with the aim of discussing strategies and methodologies that promote excellence in football.

With a carefully crafted programme, the conference featured contributions from esteemed speakers, including Prof. Dr. Mark Williams, one of the leading global authorities in the study of sports skill acquisition. His presentation, entitled "Skill Acquisition Framework for Excellence," was widely praised. During his lecture, the professor addressed the mechanisms and practices involved in developing skills in football, sharing his latest research on how players can maximise their performance through specific training methodologies.

Prof. Dr. Mark Williams focused his presentation on the evolution of modern football, which demands increasingly more from players, not only in technical terms but also cognitively. He emphasised that success in football largely depends on players' ability to make quick and effective decisions, as well as their constant adaptation to new situations during the game. Based on his research, the professor shared a skill acquisition model that combines technical training with the mental and perceptual components, demonstrating that excellence is achieved not only through physical training but also through an integrated approach.

The opening session was led by Professors Jorge Proença and Filipe Casanova, both of whom have extensive backgrounds in the field of sport and physical education. The two academics set the tone for an event that promised to be dynamic and inspiring, highlighting the importance of uniting sporting practice with scientific advancements in order to elevate the quality of football at all levels, from grassroots to professional.

The International Conference on Football exceeded expectations, providing an environment for the sharing of knowledge, innovation, and reflection on best practices for developing high-level football. The event reinforced the significance of applied research in sport and highlighted the role of universities and experts in training players, coaches, and sports managers who seek to achieve excellence.

This event was yet another successful initiative by Lusófona University, which has distinguished itself in promoting conferences and seminars focused on sport, significantly contributing to the advancement of sports sciences in Portugal and the development of future generations of football professionals.

View Event Photographs on ULusófona's Facebook

Production
Catarina Machado

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Catarina Machado

Text
Mariana Devezas