A course for Technical Directors (TD) with the participation of General Secretaries (GS) took place in Brasilia, Brazil from 11 to 17 November 2019. Represented were the member associations of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic.

Football is the core business of each member association. A strong technical director leading an efficient technical department with qualified staff and an excellent relationship with the association's general secretary - combined with a strategy and long-term development plan - are among the most important factors in successful football development.

FIFA started an education programme for technical directors in 2016 and, since then, has organised 41 courses and workshops at different levels.

Since the beginning of 2019, general secretaries have also been invited to participate, allowing them to discuss, among other matters, the complementary roles the general secretary and technical director have in a federation and the importance of a close cooperation between the administrative and technical sectors. The indispensability of a long-term development plan and efficient internal and external relations were among other topics discussed at the gathering.

The course in Brazil was dedicated to member associations with new technical directors in their structures. The programme is based on five pillars, which are:

“The Technical Director plays a key role in the development of football in a country. He or she with his or her department needs to be fully integrated in the structure of the federation and equipped with qualified staff and appropriate financial resources. By having the General Secretaries in the course provides us opportunities to discuss communication, cooperation and mutual understanding for the importance of each others’ role.” Jurg Nepfer (Head of FIFA's Technical Development Services)

"This seminar has allowed us to have tools that will help us improve football in our countries, together with the coexistence with the technical development directors of other member associations with whom we exchange experiences and strengthen relationships. High quality content, plus those responsible for the development of FIFA, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL AND INSTRUCTORS, took care of it being a high-level seminar." Carlos Eduardo Estrada (Technical Director of the Federacion Nacional de Futbol de Guatemala)

"It was a very complete, practical and educational seminar, to be able to understand it and at the same time practice what was learned. It leaves you with varied tools, necessary for the daily performance of the Technical Director." Clarence Acuna (Technical Development Manager of CONMEBOL)

"It was very good to be able to share experiences with CONMEBOL and Concacaf Technical Directors and learn about different realities. To have new tools for our job and to analyse the work of a Coach Instructor was very important for us. The fact that we can share with another confederation such as Concacaf helps a lot to exchange and share ideas that allows the openness to generate new projects and challenges." Diego Karmy (Technical Director of Federacion de Futbol de Chile)

"This was a very well structured seminar and allowed the Secretary General and Technical Directors to better understand their roles and the integration between the two." Walter Feldman (General Secretary of the Confederaçao Brasileira de Futebol)

"These kind of seminars and this one in particular allow us to understand the need to have a specialised Technical Director and also know and take benchmark examples from other MAs." Gustavo Lorenzo (Association Manager of the Asociación del Futbol Argentino)

"There was a lot of important learning. Both theoretical and practical issues were addressed, and it all directly concerned the daily work of the Technical Directors and General Secretaries. The course also offered useful tools to facilitate their work." Daniel Banales (FIFA Regional Technical Consultant for South America)

"The collaboration between FIFA and Concacaf in development and education has showcased the critical need for quality innovation in the area of development in our region. Synergy ,collaboration, sharing best practice and sound teamwork will contribute to the development of football on all levels." Etienne Siliee (Technical Consultant for Concacaf)

Daniel Banales (Uruguay), Mauricio Marques (Brazil), Rodrigo Kenton (Costa Rica), Oscar Hamada (Peru) and Etienne Siliee (Curacao) were the instructors, with the latter also representing Concacaf. Clarence Acuna (Chile) represented CONMEBOL. The presence of the two confederations is proof of the close collaboration FIFA enjoys with these confederations.