Kuala Lumpur: The 3rd AFC Coach Education Conference successfully concluded in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia on Thursday, with educators from 45 Member Associations benefiting from the engaging sessions.The three-day conference, with the theme ‘Making a Difference’, focussed on various insightful topics aimed at developing future coaches in the sport.
Chinese Football Association (CFA) Coach Instructor Lars-Sven Isecke was a key speaker in the conference where he shared his experience on the evolving football trends in China PR as well as the importance of understanding the culture of football of each Member Association.
He said: “At a conference like this, you talk to a lot of people who understand football and we can share and exchange knowledge. This can be extremely beneficial because you can learn new things from a small or big football country.
“To be good educators, they must understand the cultural differences. Football is still a uniting factor and we all want to play beautiful football and be successful, but it is important to know that if you want quality, it will take time.”
Football Federation Australia (FFA) Coach Education Director Anthony Frost added that participants will benefit from the conference which focused on educating Asia’s future coaches.
“It is a great opportunity to share ideas and it is a positive step from the AFC to invite MAs to attend. From an Australian perspective, we are always learning and improving – and we are excited to come to these events to gain more knowledge.”
UAE Head of Coaching Abdulla Hassan Abdulla said coach education is important in raising the standards of football in Asia.
“Coach education is a crucial phase in developing football in the country. When you develop coaches, they in turn develop the players. It is related so you need a strong coach education system.”
The conference covered a range of sessions including the development and implications of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 while participants also received insights into the coach education practices in Europe.