The Football Association of England (The FA) has signed a new four-year Memorandum of Understanding with the Asian Football Confederation to support the development of football in the Asian continent. The new accord will continue the work of The FA’s International Development Program in Asia which has benefited from The FA’s technical expertise since 2000 after the first co-operation agreement was signed.
The MoU, which runs until 2010, will focus primarily on education and training - specifically for tutor training, technical development and youth development - together with research and information gathering and equipment donations. All of the proposed FA activities have been identified to complement the AFC’s own Technical Development Plans and FIFA Strategic Development Plans.
"This is another big step in the AFC's cooperation with other football bodies to develop the game in our continent," said AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam. "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," added the AFC chief, whose brainchild Vision Asia, a revolutionary football development program, is being successfully implemented in several Asian countries, including China and India.
FA Chairman Geoff Thompson looked forward to a promising period of cooperation. "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," he said.
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.
The MoU, which runs until 2010, will focus primarily on education and training - specifically for tutor training, technical development and youth development - together with research and information gathering and equipment donations. All of the proposed FA activities have been identified to complement the AFC’s own Technical Development Plans and FIFA Strategic Development Plans.
"This is another big step in the AFC's cooperation with other football bodies to develop the game in our continent," said AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam. "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," added the AFC chief, whose brainchild Vision Asia, a revolutionary football development program, is being successfully implemented in several Asian countries, including China and India.
FA Chairman Geoff Thompson looked forward to a promising period of cooperation. "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," he said.
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.