Severn varsity girls soccer Head Coach Adam Ritchie will visit Afghanistan in February along with several senior U.S. coaches and sports administrators to conduct training and mentoring for Afghan sports officials as part of a sports diplomacy effort co-sponsored by the International Security Assistance Force and the U.S. Embassy. The exchange is part of an overarching sports diplomacy program designed to help develop community-based sports programs for youth across Afghanistan. Ritchie, who is also the Technical Director at Maryland Rush Soccer, will lead the soccer component of the group in training Afghan coaches for two weeks at the country’s Olympic facility in Kabul.

“It’s going to be a really good opportunity to share,” said Ritchie, who will tutor over 60 Afghan coaches of all different levels from throughout the country. “I love coaching the game, I love teaching the game, and it’s just another opportunity to share what we’re doing here in Maryland.”

The program is the latest example of the worldwide reach of Rush Soccer, which has clubs in Africa, South America, Asia, and New Zealand and supports the development of youth soccer for over 34,000 kids around the world. During the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) visit, U.S. coaches and administrators will mentor Afghan coaches and sports federation leaders from across the country in the sports of basketball, soccer, volleyball and taekwondo. In addition to coach-the-coaches mentoring in the four sports, the group will conduct workshops on developing and conducting local youth sports programs, and will work with the Afghan National Olympic Committee in developing a Presidential Fitness Challenge program for Afghan youth.

For ongoing coverage of area sports at all levels, follow us on Twitter @SPVoiceSports.

See all of our sports photo slideshows.

Click the Bookmark link to the right to share this article on Facebook.