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Emanuel Saakai

Committee Member
CEO

Emanuel is a natural and talented football coach with many years of experience playing, mentoring and motivating football teams.

Emanuel is a Football Federation of Australia (FFA) and AFC qualified coach, an AFCAT (Australia coaches’ association) permanent member and has attended the Barcelona & Manchester City Career Professional Development Training.

Emanuel founded the not-for-profit organisation, Lengo Football Academy that creates pathways for disadvantaged Tanzanian youth to score goals on and off the football field. In Australia, he established Lengo Australia Incorporated and secured charity status to raise funds for the Tanzanian youth. He is a passionate advocate for disadvantaged youth in Tanzania and Australia.

Emanuel currently resides in Melbourne, Australia. Previously he was been employed by Juventus Academy Melbourne that is owned and run by the world-class, Italian Club, Juventus Football Club and worked closely with the European coaches there. He worked at the Clifton Hill Football Club and coaches all age groups. He works for the Harry Kewell Academy when Harry Kewell is in the country. He works with coaches of the legendary FC Barcelona through their FCBE scola (school) running their outreach football clinics in Australia. He runs football and youth programs with high risk youth with migrant and refugee backgrounds (Sudanese, Somalis, Iraqi and Bhutanese) in Melbourne.
In 2017 he represented Lengo Football Academy Tanzania at the International Football for Friendship program in St Petersburg, Russia and attended the Confederations Cup celebrations and in 2018 led 11 countries to the Football for Friendship program in Moscow, Russia, which included attending the World Cup.

Emanuel is a motivational and keynote speaker and has spoken at many schools, businesses, academies, conferences and clubs in Australia. He is an excellent role model for youth in Tanzania and Australia.

Emanuel Saakai