The recent OFC Futsal Nations Cup provided a fitting backdrop to the FIFA workshop for OFC Technical Directors and General Secretaries between 25-29 November in New Caledonia.

The capacity building workshop, which was part of OFC’s strategic programme for General Secretaries and leadership teams across the member associations, was aimed at enhancing communication and cooperation between the various sectors as well as providing a better understanding of the roles they play in the development of football in our regions.

OFC Chief Operating Officer Frederic Guillemot stressed the importance of  providing General Secretaries and management teams with a wider understanding and new tools that will make their job easier, and improve our region’s performance both on the pitch as well as at administrative level.

“We have crucial milestones to reach and we have a big strategic framework so it’s important that they are all on board and it’s also important that we provide them with all the help they need help in their federations,” he said

“The workshop was focussing on creating exchanges and discussion as well as thinking processes in order to provide practical tools on strategy and planning that impacts on the role of a General Secretary. We also concentrated on governance, on the role of committees and how committees can have a positive impact on the job of a General Secretary.

“We also worked with the leadership teams in the member associations to find the best hands-on tools and approaches to the realities they are facing,” added the OFC Chief Operating Officer.

Another key objective of the course was to improve communication and cooperation between Technical Directors and General Secretaries and Tonga Football’s General Secretary Lui ‘Aho believes the workshop did go a long way to forge a better understanding.

‘It reinforced the need for the General Secretary to work together with the Technical Director for the enhancement and development football,” he said.

Lui ‘Aho also hailed the overall outcome of the workshop.

“It has been very productive, we have been looking at our governance issues and we are trying to build a robust and effective organisation and this workshop is very conducive to that.

“We in Tonga will  benefit greatly from this work shop because it changed your mindset, it showed you are not alone that you have to work together with your team, and you are not alone in the organisation beacuse everyone your employees the Executive Committee  all the stakeholders in the organisation are involved,” he explained.

Guillemot echoed the sentiments of the Tonga Football Chief.

“The participants have all responded very well, at times they though it was a little bit challenging in terms of the thinking process and exchanges but our role as an instructor was minimal because they have the expertise and through their exchanges they found their own solutions  so it’s been a positive experience,” said the OFC Chief Operating Officer.

“But it’s just the beginning we are going to carry on for the next years and we will be quite innovative in our approach, we’ve just had a discussion with the FIFA team here and they were very surprised by the quality and also the approach of our member associations and the ways they think about what’s the next step and where will we take football in Oceania, we have a very good momentum and we will build on it,” added Guillemot.

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