FIFA Strategic Workshop stresses on the ‘road ahead’


The four-day Strategic and Planning Workshop conducted by FIFA ended successfully at Football House, the Headquarters of All India Football Federation.

The Workshop was conducted by Fredric Guillemont, FIFA Senior Manager, Performance Programme and Brendan Menton, FIFA Consultant; while Mr. Jean Michel Benezet, Technical Advisor, FIFA; and Mr. Vincent Subramanium, AFC Elite Coach Instructor, were also present on the opening day. FIFA Regional Developmental Officer for South and Central Asia, Mr. Shaji Prabhakaran was also a part of the Workshop.

The interactive Workshop which stressed on the Strategic Plan for Indian Football was attended by AIFF General Secretary Mr. Kushal Das; Senior AIFF Vice-President Mr. Subrata Dutta; IMG-R representatives, State Association representatives, AIFF Head of Departments including Tecnical Director Rob Baan, Scott O’Donell TD Academies, National coach Wim Koevermans and other nominated staff.

The interactive Workshop did a SWOT and PEST Analysis and proceeded to discuss at length about the Vision, Mission, Goals for Indian Football. The functioning and objectives the various departments – Grassroots, Coaching and Academies, League &Competitions, Marketing, Communication amongst others were discussed at length.

Guillemont was all praise for the response in the Workshop. “I found it to be excellent. We had some strong interactions. It was all about good team work,” he told www.the-aiff.com.

“The purpose was to create a strategy on which everyone can focus and implement for the overall development of the sport in India,” he added.

Das felt the Workshop has defined the strategies ahead for India. “In today’s competitive environment, it’s critical to have a Vision, Mission and a Strategic Plan. The AIFF with the help of FIFA, first completed a Performance Programme and then proceeded with the Strategic Planning Workshop,” he said.

“It will enable us to develop short-term, medium-term and long term strategies which will be documented and will be the guiding philosophy along with the Master Plan to take Indian football to the next level in the next 10 years. We intend to complete the detailed plan in the next couple of months and place it before the Executive Committee for approval,” he added.

Dutta complemented Das saying the Workshop has given Indian Football an Overall Development Plan. “The FIFA delegation was here with a specific strategic plan for India and that is to give Indian football a direction and a plan which will provide the impetus to move forward,” he opined.