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PROFESSIONAL SOCCER COACHING:
Jovan Novakovic
Director / Head Coach
UEFA licensed coach with international coaching experience across Canada, Europe and the Middle East. Jovan Novakovic leads the sporting direction and first-team football operations of Select Generation Dubai.
A background of working with elite youth and senior players preparing for professional pathways, focusing on high-performance training environments, tactical organization, and professional player development.
Nationality: Serbian / Canadian 🇷🇸 🇨🇦
Coaching Licence: UEFA Licensed Coach
Specialization: Player development, tactical organization, high-performance training
A background of working with elite youth and senior players preparing for professional pathways, focusing on high-performance training environments, tactical organization, and professional player development.
Nationality: Serbian / Canadian 🇷🇸 🇨🇦
Coaching Licence: UEFA Licensed Coach
Specialization: Player development, tactical organization, high-performance training
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Deivisson Antonio da Silva
Assistant Coach
Brazilian football coach with over 25 years of experience in youth development and professional football environments across Brazil, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates.
Deivisson has worked extensively with elite youth and senior players, contributing to the development of players who progressed to professional clubs and Brazilian national team pathways.
Nationality: Brazilian 🇧🇷
Experience: 25+ years in professional and elite youth football
Specialization: Team organization, player development, squad management
Deivisson has worked extensively with elite youth and senior players, contributing to the development of players who progressed to professional clubs and Brazilian national team pathways.
Nationality: Brazilian 🇧🇷
Experience: 25+ years in professional and elite youth football
Specialization: Team organization, player development, squad management
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Ndzemdzela Langwa
Assistant Coach
Canadian former professional footballer with playing experience in Italy, Germany, and Spain. Following his professional career, Zela founded a leading high-performance academy in Canada, helping develop over 100 players who progressed into the professional game.
Combining elite playing and coaching experience, Zela specializes in technical development, position-specific training, and individual player progression, while preparing athletes for the demands of professional football.
Nationality: Canadian 🇨🇦
Experience: Former professional player and high-performance academy lead
Specialization: Technical development, position-specific training, player progression, high-performance coaching
Combining elite playing and coaching experience, Zela specializes in technical development, position-specific training, and individual player progression, while preparing athletes for the demands of professional football.
Nationality: Canadian 🇨🇦
Experience: Former professional player and high-performance academy lead
Specialization: Technical development, position-specific training, player progression, high-performance coaching
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Willie Oviedo
Goalkeeping Coach
Experienced Colombian Goalkeeper Coach with over 20 years of experience developing goalkeepers in elite youth academies and professional football environments across Colombia, the United States, Poland, and the United Arab Emirates.
Willie is recognized for his modern, individualized coaching methodology, combining technical development, tactical understanding, mental performance, physical conditioning, and video analysis to maximize goalkeeper performance and long-term development.
Nationality: Colombian 🇨🇴
Experience: 20+ years in professional and elite youth football
Specialization: Goalkeeper development, technical coaching, performance analysis, mental preparation, pathway progression to elite football
Willie is recognized for his modern, individualized coaching methodology, combining technical development, tactical understanding, mental performance, physical conditioning, and video analysis to maximize goalkeeper performance and long-term development.
Nationality: Colombian 🇨🇴
Experience: 20+ years in professional and elite youth football
Specialization: Goalkeeper development, technical coaching, performance analysis, mental preparation, pathway progression to elite football
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Niloofar Samadaei
Physiotherapist
Sports Physiotherapist with over 11 years of experience in clinical and elite sports environments. Niloofar specializes in sports rehabilitation, injury prevention, and performance recovery, with over 2,000 successful treatments delivered for athletes across different sports.
She has spent more than 10 years working specifically with athletes, especially professional football players, collaborating with various football teams and supporting players through injury recovery and return-to-play programs. Niloofar has experience working with elite-level athletes, including national team players, providing evidence-based physiotherapy and performance-focused rehabilitation.
Nationality: Iranian
Experience: 11+ years in sports physiotherapy and athlete rehabilitation
Specialization: Sports injury rehabilitation, injury prevention, return-to-play programs, and athlete performance optimization
She has spent more than 10 years working specifically with athletes, especially professional football players, collaborating with various football teams and supporting players through injury recovery and return-to-play programs. Niloofar has experience working with elite-level athletes, including national team players, providing evidence-based physiotherapy and performance-focused rehabilitation.
Nationality: Iranian
Experience: 11+ years in sports physiotherapy and athlete rehabilitation
Specialization: Sports injury rehabilitation, injury prevention, return-to-play programs, and athlete performance optimization
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Waheed Majiet
Team Manager / Coach
South African football coach and team manager with experience working in youth development and academy environments in Dubai. Waheed brings strong organizational and operational experience within football clubs while supporting coaching and player development across multiple age groups.
Nationality: South African 🇿🇦
Coaching Licences: CAF D Licence, FA Level 1 & FA Level 2
Specialization: Team operations, coaching support, player development
Nationality: South African 🇿🇦
Coaching Licences: CAF D Licence, FA Level 1 & FA Level 2
Specialization: Team operations, coaching support, player development
club leadership
Based between Miami & our Academies in Spain, England and Dubai, Sam is a FIFA Licensed Agent and graduate of the University of New Hampshire, where he was a 2-year starter and conference champion. He also played in the 2021 USL 2 national final with NC Fusion and 3 years at Catawba College. Originally from Woking, England, Sam is well connected in the collegiate soccer pyramid and dedicated to placing athletes at winning programs around the globe. Listen to our podcast to find out more about his story!
Former NCAA All American and currently pro, Victor decided to start Select Generation with a passion for developing young athletes and a drive for player growth. Victor has strong connections to academies and professional teams in Europe as well as the US. Based in Salamanca, Spain and currently runs our international programs.
Brings strong experience in operations support, contributing to the daily functioning of Select Generation across multiple areas. Assists with logistics, communication, and task coordination to ensure smooth execution of projects and day-to-day activities.
Focused on keeping the team organized and efficient, with a proactive approach that helps maintain consistency behind the scenes. Plays a key role in supporting the overall workflow and making sure everything runs on time and to standard.
Focused on keeping the team organized and efficient, with a proactive approach that helps maintain consistency behind the scenes. Plays a key role in supporting the overall workflow and making sure everything runs on time and to standard.
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Bruno Piva de Castro
Placement Coordinator
Originally from Brazil and now based in Massachusetts, Bruno is a former NCAA Division I player from the University of New Hampshire.
Over the past two years, he has worked as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division III level, successfully recruiting 31 players, including 16 international athletes.
He also serves as the Head of Soccer at Camp Winadu, where he oversees the development, planning, and leadership of the camp’s entire soccer program.
Over the past two years, he has worked as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division III level, successfully recruiting 31 players, including 16 international athletes.
He also serves as the Head of Soccer at Camp Winadu, where he oversees the development, planning, and leadership of the camp’s entire soccer program.
Emilio Andrade
Head of Recruitment
Based in the Americas, Emilio is a bilingual sports management professional with experience at CONMEBOL, Novo Fútbol, and Real Club Deportivo España. Having worked across multiple levels of the game, he brings a deep understanding of what it takes for a footballer to reach the next level. As Head of Recruitment at Select Generation, Emilio leads our global scouting strategy to identify and guide talented players toward elite collegiate scholarships and professional opportunities worldwide.
He holds a Master’s degree from The Football Business Academy (Switzerland) and a Bachelor’s degree from CESA (Colombia).
He holds a Master’s degree from The Football Business Academy (Switzerland) and a Bachelor’s degree from CESA (Colombia).
Tom Singhgolden
Talent Scout
Tom's expertise lye in identifying top players qualities and connecting them with certain styles of coaches, colleges and programs within our network. Originally from London, England and now coaching in Los Angeles he is currently undergoing his Certified Mental Performance Consultant training to pursue a career in elite sports mentoring for professional athletes.
Isaac Thomas
Talent Scout
Isaac is originally from Bournemouth, England, and is now based in Miami. He brings experience from both the NAIA and NCAA Division II levels, having competed at Webber International University and Christian Brothers University.
With a strong academic foundation, Isaac holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sport Business Management and a Master’s in Business Administration, combining high-level playing experience with a deep understanding of the business side of sport.
With a strong academic foundation, Isaac holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sport Business Management and a Master’s in Business Administration, combining high-level playing experience with a deep understanding of the business side of sport.
Peter Diaz
Social Media Manager
Peter serves as the Social Media Manager for Select Generation Dubai, overseeing the club’s digital presence through strategic content creation, visual storytelling, and brand communication. With more than eight years of experience in youth football environments, Peter brings a strong understanding of the game and the player development journey. His football background allows him to produce authentic and meaningful content that reflects the club’s culture while highlighting its players both on and off the pitch.
Passionate about sports media and digital storytelling, Peter is dedicated to building a polished and consistent online presence for Select Generation Dubai. He ensures that every piece of content represents the club’s ambition, core values, and commitment to developing the next generation of footballers.
Passionate about sports media and digital storytelling, Peter is dedicated to building a polished and consistent online presence for Select Generation Dubai. He ensures that every piece of content represents the club’s ambition, core values, and commitment to developing the next generation of footballers.