44 Coaches from throughout the North and Central America and the Caribbean region will participate, including for the first time, representatives from Guadeloupe and Puerto Rico. In order to obtain the FA Coaching Licence, the participants must pass a practical session and written examination.

In an inspiring address to participants at the course, CONCACAF President. Jack A. Warner praised the work done by The Football Association. "Something has been happening out there" he said, "When you look at the last World Cup it is an obvious sign of progress. Not just the results but also the performances of the USA, Mexico and Costa Rica were exceptional. In addition, there are now 167 footballers from CONCACAF playing professionally outside our Confederation, in Europe, South America and Asia. So clearly, a lot of work has been done to improve the standard of play within CONCACAF."

The partnership between The FA and CONCACAF began in April 2000 when an agreement was signed between the two confederations, committing The FA to a long-term programme of assistance to the region. Jane Bateman, Head of International Relations at The FA explains "Our work with CONCACAF is an excellent example of what can be achieved by working in partnership with confederations. Our International Development Programme is active in every confederation and aims to develop skills in the field of coaching, refereeing, administration and sports medicine".

This course is the first of a series of workshops planned for 2003, other workshops will cover Business Planning and Refereeing.

For further information, please contact Morag Taylor on 020 7745 4700 or by email Morag.Taylor@TheFA.com.