Former English professional footballer Kenny Swain will be in Bermuda to conduct an English Football Association International Licence coaching course early next month.

Swain, now retired, once played for English giants Chelsea, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest and is now a certified coaching instructor in the UK.

He was also youth coach at Crewe Alexander and a manager at both Wigan and Grimsby football clubs.

The course, considered the equivalent of the UEFA B Licence, will be conducted at Saltus Grammar School beginning at 9 a.m. and finishing at 7 p.m. from August 10-18. It will mark the first time it has been held in the CONCACAF region and is open to all coaches at a cost of $200.

All those who successfully complete the course will then be able to take the UEFA A Licence which is much sought after by coaches worldwide.

"This is a highly regarded course. It's something that most European coaches aspire to take part in, or are in fact encouraged to take in order for them to coach in certain countries throughout Europe," said Bermuda Football Association second vice-president Robert Calderon speaking during a press conference yesterday at the BFA's offices on Cedar Avenue.

"The fact that we are able to do this is a major plus for coaches in Bermuda and the association in general and the game at large."

So far, said Calderon, some 30 local coaches had signed up.