Several new developments will give more and more people the opportunity to take courses and thus obtain the relevant qualifications. Following the Board meeting held this morning at Coverciano, the Coaching Sector introduced a number of reforms concerning the Coaching School.

Adjustments to entry marks. In particular, starting from this season (2023/24 season) there will be an adjustment to marks required to access the coaches’ courses; changes that aim to enhance the experience of coaches and managers to participate in the Licence D courses (dedicated to the training of coaches in amateur football) which will give even more importance to the psycho-pedagogical qualifications of ‘aspiring’ coaches in the UEFA C courses, i.e. those aimed at coaching at grassroots level.

UEFA C. Regarding UEFA C, starting from September experimental courses will be held in Tuscany with the aim of finding out whether to extend this operation across the country. Specifically, a open tender will be open to all aspiring coaches who don’t currently have any qualifications; the list will be valid for the entire season and trainees for the subsequent courses will be drawn from here.

Examinations and entrance test. These experimental UEFA C courses in Tuscany will also be subject to increased attention to the understanding of didactics during training. In addition to the final exams on the various subjects covered by the programme, there will also be tests halfway through the training course. In addition, to access the course a psycho-aptitude entrance test must be taken to gain entry to the course.

UEFA A. Changes will also be made to the calls for applications to access the UEFA A coaching courses. The Coaching Sector’s aim is to hold three courses per season, two of which are dedicated to enhancing previous coaching careers. UEFA A represents the second highest level of qualification for a coach and this entitles them to coach all youth teams (including the Primavera), all women’s teams and men’s teams up-to and including the Serie C.

“It’s a goal that we had set ourselves for a long time,” emphasised the president of the Coaching Sector, Demetrio Albertini, upon leaving the Board Meeting. He continued: ‘In the first two years of my mandate, we focused on the youth sector, creating the course for youth managers and implementing courses dedicated to coaches of young footballers. In this second two-year period, we have succeeded in making the Coaching Sector courses more accessible to all. To use a football metaphor, this is what I also used to do on the pitch: create opportunities for my teammates.”