The power of football

Worldwide, billions of people experience the joy of football. Football encourages motion and emotion: young and old, men and women, rich and poor. Whether on a square in Amsterdam, or on a gravel field in Nairobi: football lives everywhere.

But football is more than a sport. Football develops individuals. It increases life quality and encourages participation within the community. For disadvantaged areas, developing countries and the young people who would otherwise stand on the sidelines of life living there, football is a development tool.

The KNVB, through WorldCoaches, puts the power of football into local communities in developing countries.

KNVB SOCIAL POLICY

Succesfull since 1997

Since 1997, the KNVB - along with local partners - has trained football coaches around the world, with a special focus on developing countries, using the "Coaching the Coaches" program. "Coaching the coaches" helped develop football as a sport, but also strengthened the local community: first, by encouraging children and young adults to develop their talents and passions, then improving their future prospects.

In the summer of 2009 the former "Coach the Coaches" program evolved into the WorldCoaches program. A new name, the same goal: to educate coaches who inspire the local youth, and the community, to develop.

Since the start of the program in 2009, there are 3,065 trained WorldCoaches worldwide. Programs run in many countries across the world including, but not limited to: India, Kenya, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Indonesia, Nederlandse Antillen and Suriname.

From coach to INSTRUCTOR

Training to become a WorldCoach is divided into five main phases.

Participants in the program start off with an introductory course. Although some participants receive only this level, many trainers climb higher and higher. What level they reach depends on their motivation, knowledge and skills.

Coaches who complete the full five phases of training gain the instructor title. Afterwards the coach independently communicates their knowledge to future WorldCoaches. An average of 10% of the participating coaches will develop into a WorldCoach-Instructor.

The training for future WorldCoaches at the basic level happens in the trainee's country of origin. Further training courses are organized regionally and the higher education is in a central location.

Life Skills

Alongside training in football technique, the coaches are also educated in social skills. The life skill courses provide the WorldCoaches practical tools to raise awareness on important local issues such as health, crime and the positioning of girls and women. The KNVB provides this training in cooperation with local partners

In collaboration with the University of Utrecht, the KNVB developed the life-skills manual. This manual provides a structure for the life skills training, and serves as a reference for the WorldCoach. Subjects covered are: addiction, environment, crime, HIV and AIDS, and the status of women.

The social issues covered in the manual vary by country, region, city or village. The choice depends on the local situation, the prevailing social problems and the audience. WorldCoaches use the power of local football to create a dialogue about socially relevant issues.

Download basic life skills manual

Local embedding

The WorldCoaches instructor training is a sustainable model: current WorldCoaches train new WorldCoaches (according to the 'Coach-the-coach' principle). All projects are, in time, completely self sufficient and autonomous from the KNVB. As the WorldCoaches mature, the involvement of the KNVB degrades.

Local organizations and coaches take over the program and assist talented, qualified coaches who in turn train any new coaches wishing to participate in the program.