Goal Programme - Federación de Fútbol de Chile - 2005

The Chilean national team finished third at the 1962 FIFA World Cup?, which was held on home soil. Since then, success has eluded this football-crazy country, with the third-place finish at the Olympic Men's Football Tournament Sydney 2000 the only notable exception. Players such as Zamorano, Salas and Margas (to name but three) have plied their trade in top European leagues. With regard to development work, Chile assumed a pioneering role in South America in 1960 when it opened the very first school for coaches. With its own headquarters, training centre, football institute and playing pitches, the national association has a very good football infrastructure in place.

The project approved by the Goal Bureau on 15 March is a continuation of the Chilean association's development of the regional infrastructure launched by the first project in autumn 2003. The items intended primarily to promote youth football are: 1) artificial turf pitch in Calama, 2) floodlights in Santiago, 3) dressing room in La Florida, 4) training centre in Viña del Mar, 5) offices in Valparaiso. Together with project 1, twelve provinces have now benefited from the Chilean youth development programme. The ambitious programme is being financed largely by the association's own resources with subsidies from the FIFA Goal and Financial Assistance Programme.