ISSUE 24 IN THIS ISSUE - The Football Association

ISSUE 24IN THIS ISSUESHIRTS TOKENYACOACHINGIN FIJIPLATINI ATWEMBLEY

CONCACAFCARIBBEAN OUT IN FORCEFOR FOUR-DAY COURSEAs part of the Memorandum ofUnderstanding between The FA andCONCACAF, The FA has paid two visitsto Trinidad & Tobago to run courses inMarketing & Administration and Women’s& Girls’ Football Development.The first course saw delegates fromthroughout the Caribbean and Americas attend afour-day FA Marketing and Administration course.The course focused on various aspects ofthe infrastructure which supports and developsthe game off-the-field, and was delivered by FAmarketing consultant Ed Coan and FA NationalInvestment Manager Peter Kay.From a marketing perspective, the theme ofthe four days was facilitating delegates to write awell-rounded marketing plan to address an issueor opportunity which applied in the region. Othersubjects covered included writing press releasesand dealing with the media, how to create a brandand developing sponsorship plans.Meanwhile, administration aspects coveredthe all-important subject of developing footballfacilities and finding project funding, howto develop business plans and budgets andthe strategic use of IT to underpin footballadministration.“The main link Peter and I wanted to drawwas that the quality of support off-the-field hasa direct correlation with what happens on thefield,” says Ed. “Both aspects need to exude aprofessional approach.”CONCACAF Vice-President Jack Warner wasattending the annual FIFA Congress when thecourse opened, but he returned specifically todeliver the closing address, in which he vigorouslyemphasised the importance of quality supportservices from those who work behind the scenes.The FA’s Peter Kay (front row, white shirt) andEd Coan (front row, blue shirt) surrounded bydelegates at the Marketing & Administrationcourse run by The FA in Trinidad & Tobago.FOCUSING ON FEMALE FOOTBALLEngland Women’s National Under-23Head Coach Brent Hills and ExerciseScientist Dawn Scott delivered a three-dayWomen’s and Girls’ Football Developmentcourse in Trinidad.The course focused on psychological andphysiological considerations as well as coachingmethods, principally for girls aged eight to 15.It also included a demonstration session ledby Dawn with the Trinidad & Tobago NationalWomen’s Under-17 team.“The girls in the national Under-17 team andthe primary school girls who took part in coachingsessions showed that there is a real love of footballby girls in the Caribbean,” said Hills“I was very impressed by the level of skillsI saw from some of the girls here. We sensed areal commitment from the course candidates tosee football develop for women and girls in theircountries, it was fantastic to see such enthusiasm.”The course was opened by CONCACAFVice-President Jack Warner, who encouraged all23 candidates attending from the CONCACAFregion to take the lessons from the course back totheir respective countries to develop the game forwomen and girls.Dawn Scott, Jennie Hambleton andBrent Hills with Jack Warner.

CAYMAN CHIEFSVISIT FAFA Chairman Lord Triesman meets Cayman Islands FA President Jeffrey Webb and National CoachCarl Brown during their recent visit to The FA.A BESPOKECOACHINGPATHWAYHAS BEENDEVELOPEDFOR CIFAMarch saw The FA open its doors to officialsfrom the Cayman Islands FA (CIFA) for aseries of meetings over three days.The objective was to gain insights into variousaspects of The FA, with a view to transferringexperience back to CIFA’s own operations.CIFA President Jeffrey Webb and NationalCoach Carl Brown met with various FA officialsover the three days, including National TutorTraining Manager Jamie Houchen, marketingconsultant Ed Coan, Head of IT Rory O’Boyleand Coach Education Manager Steve Rutter.The visit also included a tour of WembleyStadium and attendance at a Premier Leaguematch.Through The FA, a bespoke coaching licencepathway has also been developed for CIFA, usingthe expertise of Robin Russell, former FA Headof Education who now heads up Sports PathInternational Limited – a leading provider ofsports e-learning.The course, which fully embraces the benefitsof e-learning, kicked-off in September 2008, withthree coaches completing the all-new CIFA ‘B’Licence, and six more the ‘C’ Licence.Former FA Head of Education (now coachingconsultant) Robin Russell with graduates from thecustomised coaching courses he has developedwith The FA for the Cayman Islands FA.COMMUNIQUE ISSUE 243

OFCFIVE DAYS OF COACHEDUCATION IN FIJIThere are now 21 more Level 1 coacheson the island of Fiji thanks to a five-dayintensive course run by The FA.The course won unanimous praise from theFiji FA, including the President Dr MuhammadKhan and National Coach Carlos Buzzetti, whoexpressed a desire for The FA to pay a returnvisit to run a Level 2 course.Running the course were FA Regional CoachDevelopment Manager Ben Bartlett and theRoyal Navy FA’s Steve Johnson.“All the participants were very enthusiasticand appreciated the kit, equipment andadditional resources we provided,” says Steve.“One or two coaches who have the potential tomove on the next Level were identified, and if werun such a course, we would also invite studentsfrom the Level 1 course we ran in 2007.”Storm clouds overhead, but thanks to BenBartlett and the Royal Navy FA’s Steve Johnson,there’s now a clear coaching pathway for 21new coaches in Fiji.

ONE WEEK ON AND REFSTAKE CENTRE STAGEThe week after the Level 1 coachingcourse, Fiji was also the stage for anentry level course for referees, run byFA Regional Refereeing Managers Ed Stoneand Alan Wilkie.The course was designed to qualify 15 newreferees to be able to referee matches whilstsimultaneously developing a group of fiveinstructors in the training and examination ofnew referees.“The referees ranged from many who had no,or little, refereeing experience through to a smallnumber of regular referees,” notes Ed. “All thedelegates – referees and instructors – were Fijiannationals and the next challenge is to developFijian referees by assessing them during matchesand using the instructors as assessors/coaches.“Whether in England or overseas, the key is toget referees active in actual matches.”The five-day course attracted coverage on FijiTV’s national news programme, with Ed and Alanboth interviewed alongside course students.President of the Fiji FA Dr. Muhammad Khanclosed the course with a glowing tribute bothto this course and the excellent support that Fijireceives from The FA in developing football inhis country.THE FA’S WORKRECEIVED AGLOWING TRIBUTEWorking in Fiji is just part of The FA’scommitment to the OFC.BRINGING COACHINGWISDOM TO SOLOMONThe Solomon Island Football Federation (SIFF)played host to The FA for two weeks late lastyear, whilst 42 students took either a Level 1or Advanced Level 1 coaching course.All the students were native SolomonIslanders and week one saw 21 progress throughto Level 1 status. The following week, a further 21students graduated to Advanced Level 1.“Both groups worked well and the majorityshowed the ability to develop beyond Level 1,”notes FA Coach Educator Richard Carter, who ranthe course in conjunction with fellow FA CoachEducator John Williams.There was local media coverage of the courseon TV and in newspapers and the course endedwith some further potential aims in mind: “It wouldbe good to progress the best students to take aLevel two award over two weeks,” says Richard.“Of course, we should also continue to bring innew students at Level 1 and possibly introducegoalkeeping awards.”COMMUNIQUE ISSUE 245

CONMEBOLTAKING REFEREEING TO ANEW LEVEL IN COLOMBIASelect Group Referee Chris Foy, LancashireFA Referee Development Officer and NationalList Assistant Referee Dean Mohareb and FARegional Manager Ray Olivier were invited byThe Football Association to deliver a four-dayworkshop in Colombia for 84 elite refereesduring January.The FA’s International Relations representativeLucia Sanchez accompanied the delegation, onwhat was the first referee training course in thecountry. Sanchez was delighted with the feedbackfrom the delegates.“It was a great experience, the Colombianreferees really enjoyed and learned a lot from theworkshops,” she said.“All of the feedback has been extremelypositive, with many complimentary comments.”Mr Luis Bedoya, President of the ColombianFederation, also attended the opening ceremonyand spoke about the support and faith that theorganisation had in its match officials.The workshops were delivered with amixture of theory and outdoor practical fitnesssessions and all of the officials were involved andenthusiastic throughout. Topics such as ‘stepstowards excellence,’ ‘where we are now,’ ‘offside,’‘teamwork,’ ‘player management’ and ‘getting thebig decisions right,’ were all delivered by Ray, Deanand Chris.Practical fitness sessions also took place everyafternoon. Specific high-intensity, speed and agilityand low-intensity (recovery) training sessionswere introduced each day and the delegates alsotried the new ‘Yo-Yo Assessment’, which hasbeen introduced in England this season to assessreferees’ stamina, agility and anaerobic capacity.Despite the high temperature and difficult grasssurface, the results were extremely impressive.There were many people in attendance duringthe four days. The media were present throughoutand coverage in the local and national newspapers,radio and television was constant. The Presidentof the Colombian Federation, the President of theReferees Commission, the General Secretary of theFederation and a FIFA Observer were amongst thedignitaries in attendance.The course was extremely well received by theColombian Federation, the elite officials and FIFA,whose observer Amelio Andino was particularlyimpressed with how it all went.“For me, the technical and physical workthe English instructors have delivered has beenunbelievable,” he said. “All of the officialsSelect Group Referee Chris Foy puts prospectivenew referees through their paces in Colombia.and instructors have been impressed with theprofessional work undertaken. They have learnedand I have learned.”Elite referee Oscar Ruiz, who has been aFIFA Referee since 1995 and represented hiscountry at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, spokevery highly of the workshop and the instructorswho delivered it.“The international instructors have taught memany things this week,” he said. “I have learnedand developed and I will improve more, so that Iam a better referee. They must come back, as thecourse was not long enough for me.”During the week, working with elite officialswho have many different pressures and differentinterpretations of some aspects of the Law, was areal experience.“I have not only developed as a tutor but alsoas a match official during the week. The seminarswere interactive, thought-provoking and beneficialto the tutors and the delegates. I hope that thework we have done can help the ColombianFederation and their match officials move forwardin the coming season.”The theme of the workshop was ‘deliveringexcellence’ and it appears that all of the elitereferees, instructors, members of the RefereesCommission and match inspectors have taken onboard the theme in their pursuit of improvement.ALL THEFEEDBACKHAS BEENEXTREMELYPOSITIVE

…AND ECUADORBENEFITS TOOTHIS WASTHE FA’SFIFTH VISITTOECUADORFollowing the successful Colombian trip,another Advanced Referees Workshop washeld in Ecuador.Ray Olivier and Steve Swallow, both FARegional Referees Managers, delivered a weeklongworkshop to almost 150 officials.The workshop was divided into two parts: thefirst a three-day course for elite referees and thelatter a two-day Match Inspectors course.In total, a mixture of assistant referees,instructors, physical trainers and match inspectorstook part in the classroom and pitch-basedsessions.Ray Olivier, who led the course, was returningto Ecuador for the fifth time to deliver a Referees’Course said: “It is a tremendous honour to beinvited back again to address both the refereesand the match inspectors.“Exactly three years ago, the FederaciónEcuatoriana de Fútbol (FEF) were appointing‘foreign’ referees from neighbouring countries toofficiate in some of their top matches.“Since then, following the development andimprovement of their match officials, FEF nowonly appoints Ecuadorian referees to officiate in alltheir internal competitions.“This is clear recognition that the training anddevelopment that The FA has delivered over thepast five years has helped to secure this significantmilestone”.Steve Swallow added, “It was a greatopportunity to be a part of this importantprogramme. All the course participants took fullpart in both the theory and physical training withgreat enthusiasm”.The FA is due to visit other countries withinCONMEBOL another three times this year as partof the Memorandum of Understanding betweenThe FA and CONMEBOL, signed in 2002.COMMUNIQUE ISSUE 247

CONMEBOLFA’S RESPECT PROGRAMMEREACHES CHILEPremier League referee Lee Mason explains the various facets of The FA’s Respect programme toreferees in Chile.The Chilean capital Santiago was thesetting for The FA’s first internationalcourse covering the Respect programmein late March.Following a request from the Chileangoverning body and CONMEBOL, The FA sentDermot Collins (FA Respect Manager), LuciaSanchez (International Relations) and Lee Mason(Premier League Referee) to deliver a seminarsharing the experience of the first year of theRespect programme in England.The Respect programme aims to combatunacceptable behaviour - on the pitch and fromthe sidelines.Delivering to an audience of referees, clubcaptains, coaches and journalists, the FA Tutorssoon discovered that football in Chile faces manyof the same behavioural problems as in England.Based on the English experience, the seminarallowed the Chilean delegates the opportunityto design their own version of the Respectprogramme. The Chilean referees in particularrevelled in the practical sessions delivered by LeeMason based on his experience of taking controlof some of the Premier League’s most competitivematches.Whilst in Santiago the English delegation wasable to witness first hand the difficultiesexperienced by referees as guests at the crucial- and controversial - Chile v Uruguay 2010 FIFAWorld Cup qualifier.The seminar received a positive response witha commitment from the Chile Football Federationto develop a similar initiative as part of its ongoingeducation programme. The visit concluded with afinal presentation to an elite group of 80 referees.The Respect seminar is the third course to bedelivered by The FA in South America this year aspart of its commitment to CONMEBOL to assistthe development of football in South America.Team shot of the delegates at The FA’sfirst international course to cover the‘Respect’ programme.

UK EXPERTS VISIT BRAzILIN BUILD-UP TO 2014and Santa Cruz as guests of the President ofthe Pernambuco Football Federation, wherethey witnessed policing techniques and themanagement of some 36,000 spectators,including 3,000 fans of the visiting team.In Pernambuco, the football authorities arecommitted to working with the criminal justiceagencies, providing facilities in each majorstadium to hold a ‘Fans Court’.In Brasilia the Central Intelligence Agencyof the Ministry for Justice held a one dayconference for 90 delegates from the Sportand Justice Ministries and civil and militarypolice from the 17 cities bidding to hostmatches at the 2014 FIFA World Cup TM Brazil.The UK delegates outlined the transformationof English football since the stadium disasters ofthe 1980s, highlighting legislation changes, theUK Football Policing Unit, intelligence officersand the experience of the Crown ProsecutionService at 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germanyto ensure that English offenders received aUK Football Banning Order.With the 2014 FIFA World Cup TM on thehorizon, a group of seven UK specialistswere invited to Brazil to deliver twoseminars on stadium security on 3 and 7April 2009. The multi-agency delegationconsisted of Nick Hawkins and SimonClements (Crown Prosecution Service),David Bohannan (Home Office), RichardWoolford (Metropolitan Police), ChrisBroome (UK Football Policing Unit), ChrisWhalley and Joseph Oakeshott (The FA).While The FA has already delivered seminarson stadium safety and security throughout theCONMEBOL region, this was the first in Brazil,five time-winners of the World Cup and 2014FIFA World Cup TM hosts. In Recife, capitalof the state of Pernambuco, the delegationspoke at the ‘Supporting Peace’ Seminarand attended the opening of the ‘Juizado doTorcedor’ or Fans Court, a Pernambuco pilotproject. The Fans Court allows a simple, speedyand summary disposal of low level offendingwhere the defendant does not have to acceptthe jurisdiction of the Court, but most do asthe maximum penalty is a short local banningorder, community service or a fine (donated toa local hospital) and attendance on a probationprogramme. The UK delegation attended thelocal derby match between Sport Club RecifeUK officials discuss the ‘Fans Court’initiative with Pernambuco State Judges.Chris Whalley, FA Head of Stadia, Safety andSecurity said: “The audience will have notedhow, in England, the Government, Police, TheFootball Authorities and Prosecutors all workclosely together on the themes of dealing withfootball violence and stadium safety and security.This has been key to the successes achieved inEngland and the composition of our delegationto Brazil underlined this partnership approach.We were delighted to have been invited to takepart in this exchange of experiences with ourcolleagues in Brazil and we wish them everysuccess on the road to staging the 2014 FIFAWorld Cup TM .”COMMUNIQUE ISSUE 249

AFCMAGNIFICENT SEVENDELIVERED IN TWO MONTHSCreating the right environment in the AFC to impart the niceties of ‘Coaching Disability Football’.Here, a setting is simulated for visually-impaired players.In the first two months of 2009, a total ofseven courses were successfully delivered tovarious Member Associations which make upthe Asian Football Confederation (AFC).The courses kicked-off in January withworkshops for Referee Assessors, Recruiters andInstructors, elite female referees, a goalkeepingcourse and Tutor training. More than 170 studentsfrom Kuwait to Singapore attended, with thecourses being run in Malaysia.These courses were then followed in Februarywith a repeat of the highly-successful ‘CoachingDisability Football’ course which ran for the firsttime in 2008. Run in Malaysia, the course wasdelivered by Jeff Davis, The FA’s National FootballDevelopment Manager for Disability Football, andJohn Ball, FA Football Development consultant.Les Howie, The FA’s National FootballDevelopment Manager for Clubs and Coaches,said of the January courses: “The expertise levelsof the delegates was very mixed. Some had only alittle experience, and others were senior tutors intheir own countries.“The challenge was to pitch the courseappropriately to ensure that all the studentsremained engaged. Regardless of theirexperience, everyone was very attentive and keento learn.”The courses are all part of the Memorandumof Understanding with the AFC which wassigned in 2006 and commits The FA to deliveringworkshops each year on tutor training, refereeingand coaching until 2010.Janie Frampton (in blue) ran a course for elitefemale referees in Malaysia in January.KOREA PAYS FA RESEARCH VISITOfficials from the Korea FA paid The FA atwo-day research and fact-finding visit inFebruary to help inform the development ofthe game in their home countryOn the agenda during the visit was anunderstanding of how The FA educates coachesand referees, as well as a look at administrationmanagement and the work of the County FAs.To see this County FA work in the field, so tospeak, the Korean delegation spent a day withthe Middlesex FA, looking at its organisationalstructures and functions – and how it interfaceswith The FA.The Korea FA intends to use the informationgained from the visit as a benchmark as it embarkson structural and management changes to its ownorganisation.

CAFOFFICIALLY HELPINGSOUTH AFRICASouth African-based FIFA referee Daniel Bennettat Wembley Stadium prior to The FA CupSemi-Final between Arsenal and Chelsea.FIFA Referee Daniel Bennett fromJohannesburg visited The FA in England inApril for a week’s work with the country’stop referees as part of ongoing co-operationbetween The FA, the Premier League and theSouth African FA.Daniel’s visit followed Keith Hackett’sattendance at South Africa’s top referees’ coursein 2008. Keith is the General Manager of thePGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Ltd).The visit also built on FA Referees CommitteeVice-Chairman David Elleray’s regular work andcontact with South African referees over the last10 years – and recent visits by members ofThe FA Referees Department.Daniel, 32, was the fourth official at theEngland v Brazil match which officially openedthe new Wembley Stadium. During his visit,he returned to Wembley for the two FA Cupsemi-finals to observe the match officials at bothmatches, in the dressing room and at pitchside.He then spent two days working and training withthe Select Group of top-level referees and will usehis experiences to feedback to his colleagues inSouth Africa.Daniel is regarded as one of the top refereesin Africa, having already refereed the AfricanConfederations Cup Final and, a few months ago,the CAF Super Cup Final. Immediately prior to hisEngland visit he was on World Cup duty in Ghanaand CAF Champions’ League duty in Zambia.FIVE-YEAR EXTENSION TOAFRICAN AGREEMENTAhead of his attendance at the CAF annualGeneral Assembly in Nigeria in February,FA Chairman Lord Triesman met withCAF President Issa Hayatou to sign a newMemorandum of Understanding to assistfootball development in Africa.This MoU commits The FA to a further fiveyears of assistance to CAF within the InternationalDevelopment Programme (IDP), where much ofThe FA’s work to date has been focused on theUEFA-CAF Meridian Project partner countriesBotswana, Malawi and Lesotho.Under the new MoU, The FA proposes toorganise two workshops/seminars a year, incountries nominated by CAF.Ideally, these will focus on specialised areassuch as stadium safety and matchday management,complementing the technical assistance alreadyoffered by FIFA development programmes.“We have a long-standing relationship withAfrica not least through our involvement in thedecade long commitment to the UEFA-CAFMeridian Project,” said Lord Triesman. “We welcomeFA Chairman Lord Triesman signs a newMemorandum of Understanding with CAFPresident Issa Hayatou to assist footballdevelopment in Africa.this renewal of our formal co-operation withCAF, and I have no doubt that it will be a mutuallyrewarding partnership.”The signing in Lagos was witnessed byFIFA President Sepp Blatter and UEFA PresidentMichel Platini.COMMUNIQUE ISSUE 2411

WORLD CUP BID 2018ENGLAND LAUNCHESWORLD CUP BIDEngland’s bid to host the 2018 FIFA WorldCup Finals was launched at WembleyStadium on Monday 18 May with the backingof FA President Prince William, UK PrimeMinister Gordon Brown and some of thegreatest names in English football.David Beckham, one of the England 2018Vice-Presidents, gave the bid his complete supportalongside Manchester United and England’sWayne Rooney and members of England’s 1966World Cup-winning including Sir Bobby Charlton,Sir Geoff Hurst and Peter Bonetti.Beckham talked of the passion of the Englishfans and the pride England players would feel inplaying in a FIFA World Cup Finals in front oftheir home crowd.The Bid launch was kicked-off by LordTriesman, Chairman of The Football Associationand also of the bid committee, with a speechthat underlined how hosting the FIFA World CupFinals would unite England, and also developfootball, not just at grassroots level at home, butalso in countries around the world.FA Chairman Lord Triesman highlighted theprivilege of hosting a FIFA World Cup Finalswhen he spoke at the official Bid launch.To read all about England’s Bid for the2018 FIFA World Cup Finals, please visit:www.england2018bid.comThe bid is currently inviting people to registerto ‘Back the Bid’ and virtually every day a wellknownpersonality expresses their support andhope that England will be granted the privilege ofhosting the FIFA World Cup Finals.UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown announcedhis Government’s backing of England’s Bidfor the 2018 FIFA World Cup Finals at theofficial launch of England candidacy. The Bidhas attracted complete cross-party support.Smiles all round as England launches its Bid tohost the 2012/2022 FIFA World Cup Finals.

15 CITIESBIDDING TO BEINCLUDEDEngland has many excellent football stadia incities spread across the country. Fifteen ApplicantHost Cities have so far applied to be consideredfor inclusion in the Bid Book, as shown on theabove map.After a competitive process and detailedinspections by the England 2018 team,approximately 16 stadia will be selected inDecember this year for inclusion in the Bid Book.In alphabetical order, the Applicant HostCities are:1. Birmingham2. Bristol3. Derby4. Hull5. Leeds6. Leicester7. Liverpool8. London9. Manchester10. Milton Keynes11. NewcastleGateshead12. Nottingham13. Portsmouth14. Sheffield15. SunderlandSuccessful cities will show they have theinfrastructure necessary to meet or exceed FIFA’sexpectations. This includes stadia, training venues,base camps and Fan Parks.They will have excellent accommodation andtransport services, and robust plans for safety,security and sustainability.Successful cities will need to have strong publicbacking for their bid, plus the support of local andregional media.TIMELINE TODECISION DAYIn January 2009, FIFA kicked off the 24-monthprocess to select the hosts of the 2018 and the2022 FIFA World Cup Finals. England formallyexpressed its interest in February 2009, with thedelivery of a letter of intent to FIFA headquartersin Zurich.Bid Books must be delivered to FIFA by14 May 2010, and then FIFA will assess the bids.In December 2010 FIFA’s Executive Committeewill select the hosts for the 2018 and the 2022 FIFAWorld Cup Finals.There are nine bidders for the 2018 tournamentand 11 for 2022.Overseeing England’s Bid for FIFA World Cup2018/2022 is a three-level structure: a Boardcomprising Executive and Non-Executiveappointments, a series of Vice-Presidents andan Executive Management Team.COMMUNIQUE ISSUE 2413

UEFAUEFA HONOURSSIR BOBBY ROBSONSir Bobby Robson is presented with a chequeby England Manager Fabio Capello to help kickoff Sir Bobby’s new cancer care centre.Former England Manager Sir Bobby Robsonhas been awarded the UEFA Order of Meritto recognise his significant contribution tothe development of football.With Sir Bobby currently fighting cancerfor a fifth time, the award was collected on hisbehalf by FA Chairman Lord Triesman at the UEFACongress dinner in Copenhagen on 25 March.The previous month, current EnglandManager Fabio Capello visited Newcastle’sFreeman Hospital to present a cheque for £75,000on behalf of The FA to Sir Bobby, to help launchhis new cancer care centre.The Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials ResearchCentre will be at the forefront of research intocancer, Sir Bobby commented: “I’m very gratefulto The FA for their extremely generous supportand to Fabio for delivering the donation in person.“I know from experience that he has a verydemanding job and for him to take the time tovisit us personally speaks volumes about hischaracter.”Fabio Capello said: “Sir Bobby Robson is afootball legend, not just in England but aroundthe world. I have known him for many years fromwhen we both managed in Spain and I am verypleased that The FA is backing the Sir BobbyRobson Foundation.“Sir Bobby is a very courageous man andit is an honour to be able to present him witha donation which will help his Foundation’simportant work.”PLATINI PRAISES ‘BEAUTIFUL’ WEMBLEYUEFA President Michel Platini paid his firstvisit to the new Wembley Stadium – to seein person the selected venue for the UEFAChampions League Final in 2011.When asked what he thought of the newstadium, his first reaction was straightforward andsuccinct: “It is beautiful.”He continued: “I didn’t imagine from the TVhow big and beautiful it is.“The old stadium I only saw three times –once when I came for the Final of the EuropeanChampionship in 1996, between Germany andCzech Republic, once when I played and oncewhen I coached from the bench.”Wembley will host the Final for the first timesince 1992, when Barcelona defeated Sampdoriato lift the European Cup for the first time in theirhistory.“It’s very impressive. Wembley gives us theopportunity to do many things. It will be a verybeautiful Final in 2011.”FA Chairman Lord Triesman points out some ofthe features of the new Wembley Stadium toUEFA President Michel Platini.

THE FA NEWSTHE FA IS ONTHE MOVEThe FA is moving from its current officesin Soho Square in central London to WembleyStadium, the spiritual home of the gamein England.From 3 August 2009, The FA’s new addressand contact numbers are:Visitor address: The Football Association,Wembley Stadium, Wembley, MiddlesexHA9 0WS, United KingdomPostal address: The Football Association,Wembley Stadium, PO Box 1966, LondonSW1P 9EQ, United KingdomTelephone: +44 844 980 8200Fax: +44 844 980 8201If you are unable to connect to The FA onthese numbers, please use +44 207 745 4545(fax: +44 207 745 5545) until 1 August. From 3 August,please check The FA’s website (www.TheFA.com) forthe new local number which will start +44 208.ENGLAND WINCYPRUS CUPEngland women’s victorious Cyprus Cup squad.Ahead of competing in the 2009 EuropeanChampionships, England’s women’s team wonthe prestigious Cyprus Cup, beating Canada3-1 in the Final.England Coach Hope Powell’s side wentthrough the eight-team tournament unbeaten, withgoals from Lianne Sanderson, Kelly Smith and FaraWilliams sealing the Final win, after going a goalbehind.En route to the Final, England scored 11 goals,beating Scotland 3-0, South Africa 6-0 and drawing2-2 with France.Final goalscorer and England captain on the dayFara Williams commented: “Winning is always agreat way to build momentum and this experiencewill be very important for all the players who werepart of it. We set the target of winning and havingachieved that we have to move on and set newgoals leading up to the Euros in August. It’s anexciting time.”At the grassroots level of the game, a new fouryearstrategy for the women’s and girls’ game hasbeen published by The FA and can be downloadedfrom www.TheFA.com, via the ‘Get into Football’ link.WINNING ISALWAYS A GREATWAY TO BUILDMOMENTUMCOMMUNIQUE ISSUE 2415

THE FA NEWSNEW FA CHIEFEXECUTIVE TAKESUP THE REINSJOINING FORCESThe FA has provided significant supportto the Royal Air Force’s ‘Taking Footballto Africa and Beyond’ initiative, donatinghundreds of England football shirts for usein projects around the globe.Among the countries to have benefitedis Iraq, where a strong link has been madethrough FA-qualified coach, Sadiq Alwohali.Sadiq escaped Iraq during the first Gulf Warand settled in the UK. Since then he has qualifiedas a coach and has set up a charity which providesfootball coaching within the country.Shirts have also reached projects in Kenya,Lesotho, Sierra Leone and South Africa, and willsoon be sent to Tanzania.To date, this initiative has supplied morethan 15,000 items including nearly 7,000footballs to 23 countries worldwide.PRESIDENT PRAISENew FA Chief Executive Ian Watmore has taken up his role.Ian, 50, joins The FA from his post as Permanent Secretary for the Departmentfor Innovation, Universities and Skills. Prior to this he was Head of the PrimeMinister’s Delivery Unit in Number 10, and previously in the Cabinet Office asGovernment Chief Information Officer.He joined the Civil Service after 24 years in the IT industry in 2004 fromAccenture, where he was UK Managing Director.The FA Chairman, Lord Triesman, said: “The FA Board are delighted to haveappointed an outstanding new Chief Executive.“We had a very strong shortlist of candidates, but in Ian we have the rightperson to lead the organisation as Chief Executive Officer.“The FA is committed to maximising participation across all levels of footballin this country, helping the England teams and our clubs achieve success on thepitch, while also being trusted to govern the game.”Ian Watmore said: “I’m delighted to be joining The Football Association asChief Executive. It’s a great challenge and one I’m really looking forward to. WithLord Triesman and the Board, Fabio Capello and The FA’s staff, I want to ensurewe are achieving success on and off the pitch across all levels of the game.”AFC President, Mohamed bin Hammam,enjoyed his first tour of Wembley Stadiumon a recent visit to London. Bin Hammam washosted by Lord Triesman and Sir Dave Richards. Hecommented, “I can see why England are proud ofWembley Stadium, it really is a first class facility.”The delegation also enjoyed discussing theheritage of football in general, with its beginningsin both Asia and England widely documented.The AFC President expressed particular interestin England’s role in the historical development ofrefereeing and the laws of the game, a topic hetouched on at the recent AFC Congress inKuala Lumpur.Coming soon...9 August England, Wembley Stadium The FA Community Shield sponsored by McDonald’s23 August - 10 September FINLAND UEFA Women’s Euro 20095 September England, Wembley Stadium England v Slovenia, International Match9 September England, Wembley Stadium England v Croatia, 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifier TM19-25 September TRINIDAD CONCACAF/FA Youth Training course21-25 September PERU CONMEBOL/FA Coaching course24 September - 3 October EGYPT FIFA U20 World Cup7-10 October TRINIDAD CONCACAF/FA Women’s Fitness workshop14 October England, Wembley Stadium England v Belarus, 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifier TM24 October - 15 November NIGERIA FIFA U17 World Cup