Three FA coaches travelled to Curaçao last month to help deliver a youth and women’s football summit, led by the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf).
Representing the FA were coach developers Lisa Savage and Ian Bateman, and current head coach of the England men’s U17 squad, Liam Bramley.
Along with coaches from the Belgian, German and Dutch Football Associations, and funded by the UEFA Together Programme, the European National Associations supported the Concacaf Youth Summit, the European group shared their expertise with attendees.
This included leading practical workshops on areas such as tournament preparation, talent development and innovation strategies for youth football, as well as focusing on women's football development, addressing coaching standards, participation and career paths.
The summit welcomed representatives from all 41 Concacaf Member Associations, bringing together technical leaders, coaches and youth development stakeholders from across the region, as well as experts from Concacaf and from FIFA.
Two of the days focused on strengthening the development structures that will shape the next generation of youth elite footballers, with participants given the opportunity to explore global best practices and regional strategies for building high-performance environments and improving talent identification. And the day dedicated to the women and girls’ game was centred around the importance of the expansion of access to football for girls and young women across the region.
The cooperation between Concacaf, UEFA and the four European Associations builds on the long-standing partnerships and strong relations between all the partners.
Speaking about the trip, Lisa Savage said: “I really enjoyed working and networking with the various international partners involved in the Concacaf Youth Summit: FIFA, UEFA, the European FAs, and of course, with the representatives from the Concacaf Member Associations and the Concacaf staff themselves.
"It was a privilege to exchange views and experiences on a wide range of topics, with each and every one of us benefiting from the diversity of the group. I was especially pleased to be working with over 50 women from the region, all representing their national association. Concacaf did a fantastic job creating such an inclusive environment.”
