CONMEBOL – South America
The FA-CONMEBOL Co-operation Programme was launched in September 2003 when FA Chairman Geoff Thompson led an FA delegation to Paraguay to deliver workshops on Coaching Strategies and Marketing & Administration. Since then, a variety of seminars and workshops have been staged across the continent, covering subjects such as Stadium Safety & Security in Peru, Chile and Ecuador, Refereeing in Ecuador and Tournament Management in Peru.
CONCACAF – North America, Central America and the Caribbean
FA Chairman Geoff Thompson signed a Co-operation Agreement with CONCACAF President and FIFA Vice President Jack Warner in April 2000, committing The FA to a programme of assistance in the region. Since then, CONCACAF member associations have benefited from an annual FA International Coaching Licence Course as well as training in Refereeing, Marketing, Administration and Media Relations.
CAF – Africa
The FA’s Agreement with CAF was signed by FA Chairman Geoff Thompson and CAF President Issa Hayatou in April 2000. Since then, The FA has organised Administration & Marketing workshops for senior representatives from each of the 52 CAF member countries as well as courses in Strategic Planning for Coaches and Advanced Refereeing. In addition to its work for CAF, The FA is a leading protagonist in the UEFA-CAF Meridian Project which partners England with Botswana, Lesotho and Malawi.
AFC – Asia
The Football Association signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Asian Football Confederation in 2000 to assist in raising the standards of football and football administration in Asia, particularly in the developing countries. FA instructors have delivered courses in Strategic Planning for Coaches, Youth and Senior Level Coaching and Goalkeeping. Earlier this year, the AFC embraced The FA’s learning philosophy which underpins all of The FA’s education programmes. An ‘FA Learning’ workshop will precede AFC coaching and referees courses at the beginning of the year, stamping English football’s approach to learning firmly on that of Asia.
OFC - Oceania
The FA will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Oceania Football Confederation in 2006 to assist Technical and Referee Development across the region. Specifically, it will underpin a partnership agreement with two of the Member Associations, Fiji and the Solomon Islands, ranked 2nd and 3rd in Oceania respectively. This partnership will focus on training instructors from all disciplines, reflecting the ‘train the trainers’ ethos of The FA’s International Development Programme.
UEFA – Europe
FA Chairman Geoff Thompson was elected to the position of Vice President of UEFA in 2002 and was unanimously re-elected to the Executive Committee in 2004 by the greatest margin in any comparable election in The FA’s history. In development terms, The FA actively participates in the UEFA-CAF Meridian Project which partners European national associations with countries in Africa. (See under CAF).