In Armenia and Azerbaijan, Jordan and Syria our offices have been incorporated into the national football associations from the very start of the program in the regions.
However, in the Balkan region the situation is quite different. Presently, we cooperate with the national FA’s occasionally and we have several instructors, leaders and coaches, who are involved in the work of the national football associations. Similarly, some of our employees in the Balkan region hold posts in their respective national football associations. Example-wise, the country coordinator in Bosnia is chairing the Children’s and Youth Committee and our administrative assistant in Macedonia is the national FA’s delegate to the UEFA Woman’s Committee.
Although we have many points of interests in common with the National Football Associations in the Balkan region, and although senior officials from the Football Associations take active part in our Advisory Boards (see below) there is still a long way to go before our hope and ambition to be included in the curriculum of the National Football Associations can come through.
Some Football Associations are reluctant to take the responsibility of the Open Fun Football Schools. They fear that they in the long run may be left alone with an operation and a financial burden, which they are not in a position to uphold.
Cultural barriers constitute another bottleneck: the development of grassroots football is not a common feature of the National Football Associations curriculum. However, with the new “UEFA Grassroots Charter” the development of grassroots football will become a strategic development issue over the years to come - and there is no doubt that Open Fun Football Schools, our principles, values and comprehensive network will play a crucial role in this development, and that our communication with the National Football Associations is improving every year.