Goal Programme - Federación de Fútbol de Chile - 2002

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.

For the first time, the Goal Programme is helping to invest systematically in the regional infrastructure of a country, namely Chile. Regional bodies and clubs were encouraged to submit projects as part of a competition and the ten best projects were then presented to the Goal Bureau, before being approved on 15 October 2003. Work concentrated on laying pitches, building a stand, installing floodlights and building changing rooms, which were inaugurated in November 2004. The following clubs were successful with their applications: Coquimbo Unido, Union La Calera, Union San Felipe, Santiago Wanderers Quintero, Palestino, ANFA and O'Higgins Rancagua.