A working trip of representatives of the Ukrainian Football Association took place to three leading clubs in England — “Manchester City,” “Arsenal,” and “Chelsea.”
Andriy Shevchenko news, Manchester City news, Chelsea news, Arsenal newsThe aim of the visit was to strengthen existing contacts and achieve new agreements on cooperation.
“Manchester City”: new opportunities in the development of Ukrainian coaches
Back in June, the UAF and “Manchester City” signed an agreement on the internship of Ukrainian coaches within the English club's system. Training will start at the beginning of the next year.
During the working meeting, the internship program, all details of cooperation and conditions of future visits were discussed. UAF representatives also had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the club's infrastructure, visit the first team and youth academy facilities, and communicate with coaches and club management.
The memorandum of cooperation between the UAF and “Manchester City” opens doors not only for one internship but also for the ongoing mentorship of our coaches. This is an important step for the development of football personnel in Ukraine, which will contribute to the professional growth of domestic specialists.
“This working trip was an important step in strengthening cooperation between the Ukrainian Football Association and top English clubs. The high level of training in English academies opens new opportunities for the development of our coaches and ultimately contributes to the progress of Ukrainian football. We are grateful to the representatives of the clubs for their openness and willingness to further interact to develop our football,” said UAF President Andriy Shevchenko about his impressions of the trip.
“Arsenal” and “Chelsea”: establishing contacts, exchanging experiences, infrastructure
During the trip, UAF representatives also visited London’s “Arsenal.” They became acquainted with the training process at the academy and discussed opportunities for future cooperation with its director — former German national team player Per Mertesacker. An agreement was reached on the possibility of internships for Ukrainian specialists for experience exchange.
The delegation had the opportunity to observe the training sessions of young footballers and hold meetings with the coaching staff of the club.
Another club that UAF representatives visited during the working trip was “Chelsea.” The Ukrainian delegation studied the academy's infrastructure and the first team training facilities. During the meetings with the management and coaches, preliminary agreements were reached on cooperation in creating an adaptive training program to enhance qualification and gain new knowledge for Ukrainian coaches.
“This is just the beginning of a long-term and fruitful cooperation between the Ukrainian Football Association and leading European clubs. It will not be limited to one-time internships for coaches, but will include ongoing mentorship and close experience exchange. We need to raise the level of education for our coaches. One of the main missions of the UAF is development in the area of children's and youth football. We strive for our specialists to have the opportunity to integrate more deeply into advanced European training methods, which will elevate Ukrainian football to a new level. During the working visit, we were impressed not only by the level of infrastructure and the construction of working processes but also by the openness of our colleagues. We received a lot of information that we will use in our work in Ukraine. Very soon, the first Ukrainian coaches will come here for internships,” said the head of the UAF Department of Children and Youth Football, Bohdan Horodnyuk.
", 'Photo: uaf.ua Official website of the UAF.
