As part of the new FIFA Club Professionalisation and Management Programme Africa edition, a club workshop was held in Luanda, Angola.

From 15-19 July, the workshop brought together two representatives from each of Angola’s 16 first division clubs as well as the President and CEO of the National Association of Angolan Football Clubs (ANCAF).

The workshop, which was supported logistically by FIFA, gave club executives the opportunity to acquire new skills and practical know-how as well as exchange best practices with industry professionals on the ground.

Demand for the FIFA Club Professionalisation and Management Programme – which is a new initiative – came from the member associations (MAs) on the back of several FIFA visits and meetings in line with the federations' visions to develop domestic leagues and clubs.

“In collaboration with the MAs and according to the vision they have for the development of their domestic leagues, we provide them this support,” said Gelson Fernandes, Director Member Associations Africa at FIFA. “I hope in the future more will join, reinforcing the capacities of the clubs through the MAs.”

Goal 5 of FIFA’s Strategic Objectives is to focus on player, coach and referee development. These workshops aim to increase the strength of African clubs which will help give every talent a chance and to help make football truly global.

FIFA’s ultimate ambition is to create a more competitive global football ecosystem, where a larger number of football clubs from every region of the world – not just a few clubs from a specific area – compete at the highest level off the pitch.

The first stage of making this happen is to listen to the needs and wants of MAs and provide support where they identify it is needed. In this instance, MAs made it clear that increased professionalism and good management will have a real impact on the football development on and off the pitch for African clubs.

“We gladly welcome this joint initiative between FIFA and the Angolan Football Federation (FAF). “This initiative is coming to Africa for the first time, due to our demands and the needs of our clubs, especially clubs that already have a professional setup,” said Artur Silva, President of the FAF. “For our clubs, the initiative is aiming to increase their management capacity at all levels, whether financial, sporting related, in terms of infrastructure, as well as the commercial and marketing aspects, all the areas involved in club management.”

Going forward, the initiative will be implemented in partnership with Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda. The programme will consist of six in-person sessions and six online sessions.

The sessions will focus on the latest trends in relation to club operations, stadium management, finance, marketing and communications, sporting strategy, youth academies, governance and legal matters, and leadership and negotiation skills.

“This has come at an excellent time because we’re currently in the process of developing a football league to a professional level,” said Dino Paulo, CEO of ANCAF. “These tools will actually be extremely valuable for the clubs and for the ANCAF itself, which is the association that looks after the clubs’ interests. It will certainly help the clubs improve their procedures in terms of management and attracting potential sponsors and investors.”