Pa Suwareh Faye, President of the Gambia Football Coaches Association said their two-week exchange visit to Sweden was a resounding success. He said the trip has up in new tactics of football coaching, in addition to their signing of a friendship agreement with a Second Division Club in Sweden for a cooperative partnership between the two parties. Coach Faye, alongside three other members of the coaches association - Ebou Faye, Dessamba Mbenga and Mariama Sowe- recently returned from the Scandinavian nation after a two-week exchange visit.

Dilating on the trip, the Africell-Sait Matty Head Coach said: “We have attended training sessions with the Soccer Academy of Tessinskolan and also training with both male and female teams, and after each training and matches there have been discussions concerning the training programme and match tactics.”

“We also have lectures with Nykoping BIS Chairman on the organisation of Swedish Football Clubs; lectures by the Chairman of Sodermandland’s Football Association on how the Swedish Football Association organises Swedish football and the Principal of Tessinsskolan on the integration of physical training in Swedish schools.”

“The training has immensely enhanced and exposed us to various training methods and tactics; and how football is structured and integrated within the school system which The Gambia can emulate,” Pa Faye said.  

“We also signed a friendship agreement with NYkoping High School and Nykopings BIS, which is a Second Division Club in Sweden in the development of cooperative partnership between the two parties. The agreement will be helpful to develop the Coaches Association; encourage good initiatives for talents; cooperate in the development of young players, boys and girls; and to render support in kind for football development.”

The Secretary-General of the coaches association, Ebou Faye, also expressed delight at the landmark agreement that would help raise the standard of Gambian football coaches. He said four coaches from Sweden are expected to arrive in Banjul in December to conduct a coaching courses for all the members of the Gambia Football Coaches Association and coaches of the various football academies.