Student exchange programme kicks off again

UEFA's campaign to nurture Europe's football coach education standards continues into 2011/12, with the first course of the season taking place this week as part of an invaluable student exchange programme endorsed by the UEFA Executive Committee.

The project's objective is to give UEFA Pro licence students opportunities for international knowledge exchange as well as the chance to enjoy direct access to UEFA tutors and content as part of their education as coaches. Representatives from Moldova, Kazakhstan, Cyprus and Belarus will come to the House of European Football in Nyon for the course.

Group discussions, forum sessions, analysis of UEFA Champions League matches and talks with professional coaches will figure on the agenda together with practical sessions.

The inaugural pilot course was held at UEFA's Nyon headquarters earlier this year, and a second pilot event was subsequently staged in Denmark.

Participants in each course come from three or four European national associations and are led by their respective coach education directors. UEFA appoints experienced tutors/coach educators to work with UEFA's technical director and UEFA's football education services at the event, with members of UEFA's Jira Panel also actively involved along with guest presenters.

Howard Wilkinson, chairman of the English League Managers Association and a Jira Panel member, will again contribute as guest tutor, while UEFA Development and Technical Assistance Committee member Jerzy Engel will be present to give further expert advice.

The programme promises direct involvement on the part of European football's governing body: a major goal is to give extra support to the Pro licence courses run by national associations. All four student exchange activities in 2011/12 will take place in Nyon.

"The aim is to encourage student coaches to move across Europe and broaden their horizons," said UEFA's technical director Andy Roxburgh. "This is an exciting project and one which, UEFA is convinced, will genuinely add value to the coach education work being done by our member associations."