CONCACAF and The English Football Association (FA) opened their first jointly conducted International Coaching Course under the new partnership today with a ceremony at the Grand Cayman Marriott attended by FIFA Vice President and CONCACAF President, Jeffrey Webb; the Hon. Mark Scotland, Minister of Health, Environment, Youth, Sports and Culture; and Chris Dowhan, English FA instructor.

The course, which starts today and will be conducted until the 25th, launches the development partnership between the two organizations that was announced in October.

“I am pleased to be present at the start of The FA and CONCACAF International Coaching Course, devised to fulfill our objectives to develop football throughout the Confederation,” said President Webb. “This course is a direct outcome of that relentless commitment.”

The course program, which was designed by the FA’s educational and developmental section, consists of three distinct instructional phases, starting with the Foundation level and continuing sequentially. It is intended for those who aspire to coach internationally and have some previous experience training senior players, or have him/herself played professionally.

“Our Confederation welcomes the instruction these participating coaches will receive, which will surely unveil more impressive talent from our region,” asserted Webb. “This is just a first initiative that will be expanded to the different countries and languages throughout our region.”

“I would like to thank CONCACAF for their invitation and I know we will have a fantastic course and we will also find some new friends,” said Dowhan.

The objective of the course is to provide all participants with an introduction to the effective management and coaching of football, in order to assist the safe and progressive delivery of coaching sessions. Additionally, it is aimed for coaches to build the vocabulary needed to engage players and gain the confidence to introduce a variety of coaching philosophies.

“We are building partnerships and we recognize the immense benefits football has, specially in health. This course is an example of CONCACAF’s vision and the goals of President Webb,” said Hon. Mark Scotland. “It is important to bring coaches to the same level of training as football is about talent and education and that’s how opportunities arise. Football starts with children at a grassroots level… Spread that knowledge.”

The Foundation Course’s content include an introduction to coaching qualities, assessing player competencies, session planning, session evaluation, as well as the organization of a group run tournament. In addition, there will be an introduction to the FA’s Long Term Player Development model and its incorporation into coaching skills.

Following the opening ceremony, the 21 participants from 20 CONCACAF member associations started their week-long working session. After theoretical introduction to Long Term Player Development, Player Characteristics and Coaches Tips, the coaches will undertake a series of practical activities that include warm-up exercises, pass and receiving adaptation, and games.

The course continues on Tuesday with a focus on planning training sessions and psychological basics along with fieldwork.

Participants: