The FA’s Alan Gillett and Jamie Houchen are in the Solomon Islands this week to deliver the first part of The FA’s plan to help develop football in the country.
Last November saw FA Chairman Geoff Thompson sign three co-operation agreements, one with the Oceania Football Confederation and with the Solomon Islands and Fiji from that region.
"The signing of these agreements means that our development programme is now worldwide," said Thompson.
"It gives The FA the opportunity to share its expertise with countries in other parts of the world, complementing the initiatives of FIFA and other partners to develop the game of football."
The delegates taking part in the week-long FA workshop will go through various elements of coach education and The FA Learning programme.
Alan Gillett can expect to receive a warm welcome by the Solomon Islands participants after coaching the national team prior to the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
His greatest achievement with the Solomon Islands was securing a 2-2 draw with Australia in the Oceania World Cup qualifying rounds in October 2004.
Gillett was awarded a silver medal for his contribution to sport on the islands and is looking forward to returning to his former patch.
"The course will provide an excellent opportunity for me to assess how things have progressed in football terms since I was last on the islands," said Gillett.
"My time there was a great experience and a fantastic learning curve. I hope that The FA can positively impact on the development of football in the Solomon Islands and I will be looking to play my part."
