A two-day conference on the management and growth of football academies and clubs has been hosted in Dakar by the International Football Association (FIFA) in partnership with the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF).

Along with Morocco, Chile, Canada, and the Czech Republic, Senegal has been chosen to trial this program. FIFA trainers, academy directors, national technical directors, and other important stakeholders will talk about the best ways to grow grassroots football during the seminar. According to Anthony Baffoe, FIFA TDS representative for Senegal, Diambars, Génération Foot, and Dakar Sacré-Coeur are some of the academies being discussed.

The objective is to improve the academy structure and fortify the relationship between the Federation, clubs, and academies, according to David Pauwels, project manager for academy systems. “We want to strengthen the foundation, but there has already been a lot of progress at the youth level. Establishing a fundamental framework that outlines the responsibilities of every member of an academy, from the technical director to the coaching staff, as well as infrastructure and human resources, is crucial. The federation’s project has been funded by FIFA. According to a source, he also claimed that a second session was scheduled for later this year.

Dakar Sacré-Coeur’s delegation president, Matthieu Chupin, was excited that FIFA and the FSF were acknowledging the extraordinary potential of these private, grassroots projects. “We require FIFA’s assistance and knowledge in order to expand. We are therefore excited to participate in this initiative and promote exchanges in order to further enhance our operations. The partnership with FIFA is already paying off in terms of knowledge about how to manage and organize our institutions and sports knowledge about youth divisions. At the professional football level, we are gradually organizing.

Club presidents have traditionally had a close relationship with one another. Youth competitiveness is the primary issue. Since regular competitions are essential to promoting progress in the sport today, FIFA, FSF, and Dtn Mayacine Mar are sincerely committed to addressing this issue.”