Countries join coaching convention

Signing ceremony
The two countries signed the convention in a special ceremony attended by UEFA President Lennart Johansson in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Wednesday. Croatia was represented by Croatian Football Federation president Vlatko Markovic and general secretary Zorislav Srebric, while Slovak Football Association president Frantisek Laurinec and general secretary Dusan Tittel were present for their country. They were accompanied by UEFA technical development committee chairman Jozef Venglos (Slovakia).

Uniform standards
UEFA's target of uniform coaching standards across Europe has taken another encouraging step forward with the addition of Croatia and Slovakia to the professional level of its coaching charter. The signatures mean that 32 European football associations are part of the convention at its various levels, with 21 of them participating at the top professional level of the coaching charter.

Licence to coach
Three quality levels are incorporated in the convention: A, B and Pro. Minimum criteria have been defined for the three levels, and if these criteria are met, the national association can become a member. Once an association is part of the convention, its licensed coaches can work in other countries who are also part of the convention. Approximately 150,000 coaches throughout Europe have a UEFA-endorsed licence.

Ongoing process
"The idea of the coaching convention is to, first of all, upgrade the standard of education of coaches, which is an ongoing process throughout Europe," said UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh. "The second aim is to allow the free movement of coaches within the countries who have signed the agreement."