Link up continues

The Football Association signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in January.

The new accord will continue the work of The FA’s International Development Programme in Asia which has benefited from The FA’s technical expertise since 2000 after the first co-operation agreement was signed.

This latest MoU will extend for an initial period of four years, 2007-2010, and will focus primarily on Education & Training - Tutor Training, Technical Development and Youth Development - together with Research & Information Gathering and kit donations.

All of the proposed FA activities have been identified to complement the AFC’s own Technical Development Plans and FIFA Strategic Development Plans.

“We are looking forward to starting this new phase of co-operation with the Asian Football Confederation in 2007,” said FA Chairman Geoff Thompson.

“It will build on a productive five-year period during which we established firm foundations in terms of education in football within the framework of Vision Asia.

“We value the personal interest and input from the President, Mohamed Bin Hammam, in ensuring that the FA-AFC co-operation agreement has been mutually beneficial.

“The sharing of expertise and experiences has undoubtedly contributed to the development of coaches, referees and administrators in Asia, and most certainly to the personal and professional development of our own tutors in England.”

To kick-start the 2007 programme of events, The FA's Jamie Houchen and Les Howie travelled to Kuala Lumpur to deliver an FA Learning Workshop aimed at developing the AFC’s elite instructors.

“Seminars like this are important to develop the skills of our coaches, instructors and assessors,” said AFC President Mohamed Bin Hamman.

"This is another big step in the AFC's cooperation with other football bodies to develop the game in our continent.

"The FA has vast experience in tutor training and youth development and we are confident that our association (with The FA) will help Asian football develop further."