Student coach exchange session to take place

UEFA's coach education exchange programme continues its autumn schedule with students from Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Turkey coming to the House of European Football in Nyon this coming week.

The scheme is now into its second season. Its objective is to provide UEFA Pro licence students with the chance to have an international exchange as well as access to UEFA, its tutors and educational materials. This innovative course has proved its worth as a source of knowledge-sharing, with national associations and participants grateful to come together and swap experiences and viewpoints.

Participants on every course hail from three or four different European associations and are guided by their respective coach education directors. UEFA assigns experienced tutors or coach educators to work with UEFA's football education services at each event, with members of the UEFA Jira Panel also actively involved alongside guest presenters.

In addition to discussions, the course features practical training sessions at the Colovray Sports Centre opposite UEFA's Nyon headquarters. Specific topics cover, among other things, the way that a coach handles crisis situations, mental fortitude under pressure, and the various human qualities required to handle the media, supporter expectations and players.

A media session gives participants the opportunity to test their skills in the flash interview situation seen on television after a UEFA Champions League game, as well as showing them how to interact with, and react to, the written press, radio and TV.