ISSUE 24 IN THIS ISSUE - The Football Association

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.