Courtesy: The FA.com


Top English coach gets FIFA role

Tuesday, 27 March, 2012

Former England Futsal chief appointed by FIFA.

Former England Futsal Head Coach Graeme Dell has been invited to become a FIFA Coaching Instructor. He joins a team of 22 FIFA Futsal Instructors worldwide, led by the highly regarded World Cup and European Championship winning former coach of Spain, Javier Lozano .

With continuing investment into the game, coaching missions conducted by FIFA’s elite group of Instructors are a core element of FIFA’s Member Association (MA) Development Programmes, which operate worldwide to help strengthen and develop Futsal and football within the Associations. Other than Beach Soccer, Futsal is the only version of small sided football officially approved by FIFA.

Graeme’s role as an Instructor is firstly as a game Ambassador for Futsal and FIFA but with his main objective to deliver FIFA Futsal Coaching Programmes and to facilitate Coach Education within FIFA’s Member Associations. This role is mixed with advisory meetings to review and advise where required on all aspects of development from grassroots through to National Team programmes for both men and women in the respective Associations.

The FIFA instructors assembled in Madrid during 2011 to develop the new FIFA coaching materials and formats of delivery. Since then Graeme has directed FIFA courses in Egypt and Sudan, as well as delivering a Regional Instructors Course in the UAE with Javier Lozano and former Belgian National Coach Benny Meurs for the Asian Football Confederation. With a busy schedule ahead, 2012 promises to be a challenging one and next up in his diary during April is a development course in Bermuda where Futsal is just starting to be played.

Graeme joins a highly respected group of coaches, as England Women’s Head Coach Hope Powell is England’s only other FIFA Coaching Instructor.

“I’m flattered and excited to have been invited to join this very elite group of FIFA Instructors," said Dell. "You never think people are watching what you do, but clearly they are. To be entrusted with such a significant and high profile role is a great opportunity to make a difference, and an absolute honour. There is a lot of work to be done to develop and improve Futsal which is valued so highly around the world and an Instructor’s work is key to that.”

“I’ve been coaching and educating coaches for over 30 years but this opportunity is once in a lifetime and presents new and varied challenges which I’m enjoying. I will need to draw upon many of my prior experiences to face those challenges and that adds to the excitement ahead.”

Graeme has been instrumental in designing and developing The FA’s new range of Futsal Coach Education courses, with the successful Coaching Futsal: A Beginners Guide already launched and the new Coaching Futsal:Level1 due for implementation later this year.

Simon Walker, The FA National Manager for Adult Grassroots Football, said: “This is a tremendous honour for Graeme to be recognised by FIFA in this unique way, but is nothing less than what he deserves.

"Graeme has been tireless in his pursuit of developing Futsal at home and abroad, and his commitment and passion for this sport is unrivalled. To have one of our English coaches in this small group of illustrious Futsal coaches is also a positive sign as to how far English Futsal has progressed in recent years.”




Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com